The DetailedBeauty of Texas’

CourthousesW HEN THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE authorized counties

to issue bonds for courthouse construction in the late1800s, citizens throughout the state supported construc-

tion of grand monuments to county government on their town squares.Accordingly, the period between 1870 and 1900 is considered the“golden era” of county courthouse construction in Texas, in which four“Victorian” styles were frequently built. In our last issue, our series oncourthouse architecture highlighted elements common to RenaissanceRevival and Italianate approaches. In this issue, photojournalist AmberNovak shows off French Second Empire (Caldwell County) andRomanesque Revival courthouses (Hays County).

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y A M B E R N O V A K

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Caldwell CountyThe Second Empire style was born in Franceand refers to the reign of Napoleon III, whodirected an architectural transformation of Parisin the mid 1800s. The hallmark feature ofSecond Empire is the mansard roof, named afterarchitect François Mansart (1598-1666). Othercommon elements include decorative dormers,high brick chimneys, projecting pavilions, crest-ing, and bracketed cornices. The CaldwellCounty courthouse in Lockhart, designed byAlfred Guiles and built in 1894, offers a beauti-ful example of French Second Empire design.

SecondEmpire

The overall effect ofthe Second Empirestyle is monumentaland ornate. Projectingand receding surfaces,often in the form ofcentral and end pavil-ions, reflect the trendof the time towardsthe picturesque andirregularity of design.

Second Empire edifices rely on dif-ferent colors and textures of stone toaccent the building, both on thewalls and roof. Horizontal bandingwas often used on the exterior tovisually separate the floors of thebuilding. The Caldwell Countycourthouse is banded with Pecos redsandstone, contrasting with theoverall use of Muldoon blue lime-stone.

Second Empire typically has a project-ing, ornamental molding, or cornice,supported by decorative brackets at thebase of the roof. In the case of theCaldwell courthouse, the brackets arepaired.

Botanical as well as geometricdesigns are repeated in the interi-or and exterior detail of theCaldwell courthouse. The newelposts of the wood staircase areelaborately hand-carved withleaves and a zig-zag pattern.

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The nearly vertical, steep lower slope of the double-pitched mansard roof is a main feature of Second Empire architecture. Themansard roof increased headroom in the attic and allowed for another usable floor. Protruding and decorative dormer windowsprovided light to the resulting top floors. Other details that are exemplified by the Caldwell courthouse and indicative of FrenchSecond Empire are the high chimney, the ironwork cresting bordering the ridge of the roof, and the ornamental stone archesover windows.

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Medallions, ornamental plaques that represent an object in relief, are often found in the interior of Second Empire buildings. This circularmedallion graces the courtroom ceiling of the Caldwell courthouse.

Romanesque Revival columns are squat with carved, heavy capi-tols. The Ellis County courthouse is decorated with 21 hand-carved stone faces, ranging from the beautiful to the grotesque.

Romanesque Revival Ellis CountyRomanesque Revival is fortress-like in its appearance. The walls are built of thick stone, Roman arches abound, and towers decorate theroof. A late 19th century variation on the Romanesque Revival style was developed by Bostonian Henry Hobson Richardson. By utiliz-ing color, texture and patterning, Richardson is credited to be the only American architect to achieve a personal monumental style in the1800’s. J. Riely Gordon designed several superb Richardsonian Romanesque buildings in Texas, one of which was the Ellis County cour-thouse in Waxahatchie, completed in 1897.

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Thick round archesand squat columnslend to the heavy,even massive, feelof Romanesquearchitecture.

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The Romanesque Revival style is castle-like in appearance with hallmark Roman arches, thick walls of rusticated stone and thin turretswith conical roofs.

Architect J. Riely Gordon required stonefrom various quarries to be used in theconstruction of the Ellis County court-house. Gray granite, rose pink granite,Burnett County limestone and Pecos redsandstone provide contrasting colors andtextures throughout the building. Patternand elaborate detail within the masonrywere also a hallmark of the RichardsonianRomanesque style.

Narrow windows accentuatethe imposing appearance ofRomanesque architecture.

The unique heaviness of theRichardsonian Romanesque style isemphasized by short, robust columns,cavernous loggias (open areas behindcolonnades), and deep dooropenings.★