A New Old Courthouse
culture, victoria, victoria county courthouse, victoria county heritage,
The 116-year-old Victoria County Courthouse is a beautiful sandstone and limestone monument in downtown Victoria, a stately nod to the architecture and craftsmanship of days gone by.
But 14 years ago, this focal point of public pride was dilapidated and obsolete, having fallen into disrepair after years of negligence and shoddy renovations.
In 1994, Victoria County, in partnership with Victoria Preservation Inc., the Victoria County and Texas Historical Commissions and various state and city officials, took on the mammoth task of restoring the courthouse to its original dignity.
The courthouse, originally built in 1892, was erected during something of an architectural renaissance for Texas. State legislation allowed counties to pay for the construction of courthouses with bonds and an abundance of stonemasons who traveled to the area for work after the state capital burned. This combined effort created a period of prolific building artistry throughout the state between 1885 and 1915.
“This courthouse presents our community’s thought of itself in stone,” says Gary Dunnam, director of Victoria County Heritage. “They wanted to be seen as the community that could build such an edifice as this. It is certainly grand, and that’s the way the people in power at the time wanted to be seen.”
The courthouse’s newly restored presence impacted the entire community, whether an individual ever set foot in it or not. It was this commanding influence that the caught the attention of those wanting to restore the modern Victoria County Courthouse.
“It was very important that buildings give something back to the people that walked by them on the sidewalk,” Dunnam says. “They were beautiful, and they beautified the cityscape.”
During the course of the $5.5 million renovation, workers tore out lowered ceilings, replaced plaster walls, repainted according to the original design and reopened a covered center atrium that had been filled in with offices.
The result is a state-of-the-art facility that not only looks impressive, but also respects the original intent of the historic architect, J. Riely Gordon.
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Story by Michaela Jackson
Photo by J. Kyle Keener
