Take a walk… around the squares, main streets and plazas of historic Texas towns. Some feel unchanged, some are now metropolitan, but all reveal their beginnings and evolution in the walkable cultural landscape of today.
Texas determination and ingenuity is on display when visiting a historic Texas downtown. The National Main Street initiative to revitalize historic downtowns through preservation was formed more than 30 years ago by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Main Street Program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation, with more than 87 fully designated communities.
Through a successfully proven four point strategy of organization, economic restructuring, design and promotion, locally funded programs work with the Texas Historical Commission to achieve preservation-based economic and quality of life goals. This strategy often reintroduces the historic downtown as the activity hub and heart of the community for locals while also resulting in a great experience for the visitor.
Webb County Courthouse
You will notice both American and Mexican architectural traditions in the eclectic 1909 courthouse. Architect…
Bexar County Courthouse
Executed in a Romanesque Revival style using pink granite and red sandstone, the design of…
Comal County Courthouse
James Riely Gordon designed 15 county courthouses that were built in Texas. He developed a…
Historic Hays County Courthouse & Museum
This is the fourth Hays County Courthouse. Built in 1908, it is a Beaux Arts…
Williamson County Courthouse
The Williamson County Courthouse is a masterpiece of Classical Revival Beaux Arts styling. The three-story…
McLennan County Courthouse
With a dome perhaps influenced by St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, the courthouse’s opulent character…
Hill County Courthouse
This was the third Texas courthouse of twelve designed by W.C. Dodson. Six Dodson courthouses…
Ellis County Courthouse
The courthouse’s turn-of-the-century ventilation system was unique in that it operated by using the central…
Denton County Courthouse/Courthouse Square
This 1896 courthouse is unique and extraordinary even by Texas courthouse standards. A central octagonal…
Cooke County Courthouse
Elements of both Beaux-Arts and Prairie School style are present, particularly evident in the stained…
Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture / 1892 Dallas County Courthouse
In 1890, the Dallas County Commissioners Court opened bids for a new courthouse. It would…
La Salle County Courthouse
During the 2013 restoration of La Salle County’s courthouse, a somewhat straightforward modern building highlighted…
Texas has more historic courthouses than any other state—235 are still in active government use. With decades or even centuries of use, these structures deteriorate due to inadequate maintenance, insensitive modifications, or weather-related damage.
The Texas Historical Commission's nationally recognized and award-winning Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program works to restore these treasured historic landmarks.
Established in 1999 by the Texas Legislature and Gov. George W. Bush through House Bill 1341, the program provides partial funding to Texas counties to restore their historic courthouses. To date, the program has restored over 75 Texas courthouses and another 28 have received emergency or planning grants to complete small projects.