The Detailed Beauty Texas’ Courthouses O

FIRST IN A SERIES OF 5The DetailedBeauty of Texas’CourthousesONE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE A COUNTY OFFICIAL toappreciate the joy of a beautiful county courthouse. Severalcoffee-table books and numerous Internet sites offer photosthat identify the courthouses as well as the unique architectural stylesin which they were built. But what does it mean to say that a buildingis “Second Empire” or “Beaux Arts” or “Art Deco?”To find out, County asked photojournalist Amber Novak to consultwith architects who specialize in courthouse styles and then head out tocounties around the state to capture the unique elements that earn particular courthouses their architectural labels. In each of the next fiveissues of County, the magazine will highlight two styles from the sameperiods of history. First, we start with related styles from the turn of the20th Century (1900): Renaissance Revival and R 2004 COUNTY17

ItalianateGrimes CountyItalianate form, inspired by the architecture ofRenaissance Italy, was immensely popular inAmerica during the second half of the 19th century. For Texans, it was a style that fulfilled a desirefor the sophisticated look of east coast cities. Boxyin form, with decorative elements such as quoining and arched window heads, the Grimes CountyCourthouse in Anderson offers a good visualdescription of Italianate design, and containsremarkable interior detail. It was designed by F.S.Glover and Company of Houston and completedin 1893.Italianate style isboxy, with a low roofthat may be eitherhipped or gabled. Inthe case of the GrimesCounty Courthouse,the roof is hipped,with four uniformlypitched sides.Quoins, pronounced “coins,” are thedressed stones at the corners of a building that provide decorative contrastwith the adjoining wall. The GrimesCounty courthouse uses native stoneaccent against the hand-molded bricksof the building. Quoining is commonlyused with the Italianate style.Arched window heads, which in thisexample are constructed out ofhand-molded bricks and paintedwhite in an attempt to match thenative stone used as trim elsewhereon the building, are indicative ofthe Italianate style, and the windowsthemselves are often paired.18COUNTY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004A square cupola, or tower, iscommonly placed on top of theItalianate roof.

Using a singleremaining carvedbrass door hingefrom 1894 as aguide, all door hardware of the GrimesCounty courthousewas replicated duringrecent renovations tohonor the originalNative Americanpattern.NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 COUNTY19

The Grimes County courtroom is notable forits original pressed-metal vaulted ceiling.20COUNTY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004

Renaissance RevivalAnderson CountyOften associated closely with the Italianate style, Renaissance Revival draws from both French and Italian expressions, with obviousroots in ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The Renaissance Revival courthouse is usually three stories with progressively moreintricate design on each exterior level. Like Italianate, the Renaissance Revival building is box-like, but may be capped with a dome ona raised drum. Anderson County’s courthouse, in the city of Palestine, was designed by C.H. Page and Brothers and built in 1914,more than a decade after the peak of Renaissance Revival architecture in the United States. While many Renaissance Revival elementsare the same as the subsequent Beaux-Arts style, the Anderson County courthouse is substantially less ornate than those courthousestypically categorized as Beaux-Arts.Renaissance Revival architecture is characterized by balustrades(railings with supporting pillars) along the roofline and decorative moldings at the top of the building, called the cornice.NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 COUNTY21

The elegant stone and metal work of this spiralstaircase is indicative of the prosperity and permanence that late 19th century and early 20th century Texas courthouses were expected to convey.22COUNTY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004

A stained glass decorates the interior of the dome in Anderson County’s courthouse and two mirrored spiral staircases connect the floors.The Renaissance Revival edificebecomes more elaborate as the floorsprogress, beginning with clean lineson the ground floor and more decoration and detail near the roofline.Windows are often repetitive andengaged columns are common. A few of the Renaissance Revival county courthouses in Texas have a porticoand pediment in the style of theancient Greeks and Romans. AtAnderson County’s courthouse, giantionic columns support the pediment.A statue of the Goddess of Justice sitsatop the metal dome of AndersonCounty’s courthouse.NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004 COUNTY23

Renaissance Revival Anderson County Often associated closely with the Italianate style, Renaissance Revival draws from both French and Italian expressions, with obvious roots in ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The Renaissance Revival courthouse is usually three stories with progressively more intricate design on each exterior level.