The Bexar County Courthouse
San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This courthouse occupies the south side of Main Plaza, formerly called "La Plaza de las Islas", as originally laid out by the Canary Islanders in 1731. As it was then, this plaza is the administrative and judicial heart of Bexar County. This is the fourth edifice to house the government of the county since Texas entered the United States. The citizens authorized $621,000 worth of bonds in the 1890s to finance its construction. James Riely Gordon (1863-1937), architect for many imposing public buildings, including at least one state capitol, submitted the award-winning Romanesque design for this courthouse. The builders were George Dugan, David Hughes, and Otto P. Kroeger. The foundation was laid in 1891, and the structure was completed in 1896. Native Texas granite and red sandstone are basic materials of the massive building. Towers roofed in green tile and red tile, handsome columns and arches, carvings, and many fine interior details gave the edifice great distinction. Additions in 1914 and 1926 continued the use of Texas granite and sandstone. Expansions in 1963, 1970, and 1973 employed other materials, however, and also altered portions of the original design. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On the south side of San Antonio's Main Plaza — the old "Plaza de las Islas" laid out by Canary Islander settlers in 1731 — this Romanesque courthouse rose between 1891 and 1896, financed by $621,000 in citizen-approved bonds. Architect James Riely Gordon gave it massive walls of native Texas granite and red sandstone, green- and red-tiled towers, and richly carved arches. It was the fourth seat of Bexar County government since Texas statehood and remains the judicial heart of the county.
Why it matters
A monumental Gilded Age courthouse anchoring a plaza first settled in the 1730s, it shows how Texas civic ambition built enduring public architecture atop a deep Spanish colonial foundation.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Spanish Governor's Palace0.2 mi away
- Briscoe Western Art Museum0.3 mi away · 210 West Market Street
- Centro de Artes0.3 mi away
- Buckhorn Saloon and Museum0.3 mi away
- Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks0.4 mi away
- Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium0.4 mi away
Attractions
- River boat boarding0.2 mi away
- Casa Navarro State Historical Site0.2 mi away
- La Villita0.3 mi away
- River boat boarding0.3 mi away
- Sea Life Aquarium0.5 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
- Yanaguana Garden0.5 mi away
Food & drink
- Paesanos Riverwalk0.3 mi away · 111 Crockett Way, San Antonio, TX
- Saltgrass Steak House0.3 mi away
- The Original Mexican Restaurant0.3 mi away
- Landry's Seafood House0.3 mi away · 517 North Presa Street, San Antonio, TX
- Mad Dogs British Pub0.3 mi away · 123 Losoya Street
- Rainforest Cafe0.3 mi away · 110 East Crockett Street, San Antonio, TX
Places to stay
- The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio0.2 mi away · 420 West Market Street, San Antonio
- Holiday Inn Riverwalk0.2 mi away · 217 North Saint Mary's Street, San Antonio, TX
- Mokara Hotel and Spa0.2 mi away · 212 West Crockett Street, San Antonio, TX
- Omni La Mansión del Rio0.2 mi away · 112 College Street, San Antonio
- Hotel Contessa0.2 mi away · 306 West Market Street
- Sheraton Gunter Hotel San Antonio0.3 mi away · 205 East Houston Street, San Antonio, TX
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related people
- · James Riely Gordon
- · George Dugan
- · David Hughes
- · Otto P. Kroeger
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Canary Islanders
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In 1731, fifty-six colonists sent by King Philip V arrived at the San Antonio presidio after more than a year's journey from the Canary Islands, becoming the town's first civilian settlers. They laid out the villa of San Fernando de Bexar around a central plaza, siting a church and government house, and formed the first organized civil government in Texas. By royal decree they and their descendants were declared hijos dalgo, persons of nobility.
Fest-Steves Block
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In the boom decades after the Civil War, San Antonio's old military plaza — once a bustling open-air market beside the Spanish Governor's Palace — sprouted rows of ornate Victorian commercial blocks. German-born alderman and lumberman Edward Steves put up the first two-story building here in 1880, and Simon Fest followed with a theatre and matching storefronts through 1888. After an 1891 fire gutted two limestone facades, they were rebuilt in showier brick, and Heusinger Hardware traded from the property for nearly eighty years.
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