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The 1884 Dimmit
County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, January 2005 |
Dimmit County
Courthouse
Date - 1884
Original Architect - J.C. Breeding
Original Style - Italianate
Style after 1927 remodeling - Classical Revival
Material - Stone
See Dimmit
County Courthouse Historical Marker
Dimmitt County
Courthouse History
By Terry
Jeanson
Although the county was officially organized in 1880, plans for the
building of a permanent courthouse did not begin until the end of
1883. Alfred
Giles was selected to design the courthouse, but the contractors
bids for his plans were deemed too expensive. The court decided, instead,
to hire San Antonio
architects J.C. Breeding & Sons. After its completion in 1884, it
was obvious to many that the courthouse reflected the design Alfred
Giles had submitted with cost-cutting omissions, such as a tower
over the main entrance on the south side. Although it can’t be proven,
as neither of the architect’s original plans survive, J.C. Breeding
& Sons most likely based their design on Giles’ plans. This led Giles
to sue Dimmit County
in October of 1884 and the suit was settled out of court for $400.00.
The 1884 courthouse remained virtually unchanged for many years until
the 1920s when the growing county needed a new, larger courthouse.
San Antonio architect
Henry T. Phelps, who had already designed courthouses in the nearby
counties of Frio,
Atascosa and Jim
Hogg, was hired for the job in December of 1925, but instead of
demolishing the old courthouse, it was decided to enlarge it. The
features of the original Italianate style building, such as the hipped,
mansard roof and double-gallery wood porch at the south side entrance,
were removed and the north and south sides of the building were extended.
The main entrance to the building was moved to the west side with
the addition of four ionic columns and a recessed porch. A cornice
with dentils, an entablature with St. John’s crosses ornamenting it
and a parapet over the main entrance with the county name, completed
the transformation of the building to a Classical Revival style. The
St. John’s cross motif can also be seen in the upper part of the second
floor windows. The center of the rear of the building and a portion
of the wall inside the recessed front porch survive from the original
1884 structure. The building’s new cornerstone was laid on September
29, 1926 and the building was completed on March 29, 1927.
Very few changes were made to the courthouse after 1927. Some of these
changes included new exterior doors, repairs to the leaking roof and
the laying of terrazzo on the ground floor. In 1995, a three foot
section of the deteriorating cornice fell from the roof over the north
side entrance. This resulted in an emergency repair grant from the
Texas Historical Commission in 1997. An inspection of the building
at that time revealed many problems due to age and improper maintenance.
In February of 2002, the county was awarded a grant from the Texas
Historical Commission for $2,403,913.00 for the restoration of the
courthouse to its 1927 condition. The work was completed and the courthouse
was rededicated on November 18, 2004.
Terry
Jeanson, July 26, 2008
Sources: Master Plan for the Restoration of the Dimmit County
Courthouse by Frank Architects, Inc., Laredo, Texas, March 2000.
[See Dimmit
County Courthouse Historical Marker] |
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Dimmit County
Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
Dimmit County
Courthouse in 2002
TE Photo, 2002 |
The 1884 Dimmit
County Courthouse before the 1927 remodeling.
Photo courtesy THC, circa 1900 |
Dimmit County
Courthouse Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, January 2005 |
Dimmit
County Courthouse back view
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, January 2005 |
Ionic
columns at the front entrance
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, April 2007 |
The restored
District Courtroom
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, April 2007 |
Courthouse architectural
details
TE Photo, 2002 |
Courthouse Column
TE Photo, 2002 |
Courthouse Column
Base
TE Photo, 2002 |
Dimmit County
Courthouse detail
TE Photo, 2002 |
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