Harris County Courthouse of 1910
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
When brothers Augustus C. and John K. Allen founded Houston in 1836, they designated this site as the Courthouse Square. In 1837 Huston became the Harrisburg (later Harris) County Seat, and a two-story pine log courthouse was constructed here. The present structure, which was built in 1909-10, served as the fifth Harris County Courthouse at this location. Designed by Charles Erwin Barglebaugh, an associate in the prominent Dallas architectural firm of Lang and Witchell, it features classical revival styling. Outstanding details include the domed roof, ornate central projections, or risalits, with Corinthian columns, and elaborate ornamentation of terra cotta, limestone, and masonry. Building materials include pink Texas granite and light brown St. Louis brick. During construction of the Courthouse, county offices were housed in a nearby theater. Shortly after a new courthouse was built east of the square in 1952, this structure was remodeled for use as the Harris County Civil Courts building. Today the Harris County Courthouse of 1910 serves as a dramatic example of civic architecture and as a symbol of Houston's dynamic growth in the early part of the twentieth century. (1984)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the Allen brothers laid out Houston in 1836, they set aside this block as the courthouse square, and a two-story pine-log courthouse rose here the next year. The grand Classical Revival building standing today—the fifth on the spot—was completed in 1910 to designs by Charles Erwin Barglebaugh of the Dallas firm Lang and Witchell, its domed roof, Corinthian columns, and terra-cotta ornament announcing a booming young city.
Why it matters
The courthouse embodies the confident civic ambition of an American city that grew from a swampy speculation into a metropolis in a single lifetime.
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Related people
- · Augustus C. Allen
- · John K. Allen
- · Charles Erwin Barglebaugh
Themes & tags
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