Bastrop County Jail
Bastrop, Bastrop County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Designed by Eugene T. Heiner of Houston, this building was erected in 1891-92 by contractors Martin, Byrne & Johnston. Red brick trim decorates the tan brick walls. A pressed metal cornice encircles the structure, and a mansard roof tops one end. Jailer's quarters were located on the first floor and cell blocks on the second and third, which appear to be one floor on the exterior. This edifice served as the Bastrop County Jail until 1974. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1891–92 to a design by prominent Houston architect Eugene T. Heiner, the Bastrop County Jail combined civic function with real architectural ambition: tan brick walls trimmed in red, a pressed-metal cornice, and a mansard roof. A clever exterior disguised the fact that jailer's quarters occupied the first floor while cell blocks filled the second and third. It served the county until 1974.
Why it matters
It represents the late-nineteenth-century era when even a county jail was built as a dignified public monument, reflecting the civic pride of a maturing Texas.
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Related people
- · Eugene T. Heiner
Themes & tags
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