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The
1901 McLennan County Courthouse in Waco
Photo
courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2005 |
The
Present McLennan County Courthouse
- Waco,
Texas
Date - 1901
Architect - J. Reily Gordon
The Beaux-Arts style building
is said to have been inspired by St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. Noteworthy details
include a series of eagles spaced along the base of the dome.
Recorded
Texas Historic Landmark
See
McLennan County
Courthouse Historical Marker |
Courthouse
facing Washington Avenue
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2005 |
The
Courthouse entrance
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, February 2005 |
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"On top of the courthouse's dome is a small lantern, crowned by a statue
of Themis, the Greek goddess of divine law and justice. The statue is holding
the scales of Justice in her left hand and the hilt of a sword in her right. The
blade of the sword fell off after a storm and was never replaced." - Terry
Jeanson, February 2005 photo |
| The
Courthouse east wing. Notice the Texas red granite in the courthouse's base. -
Terry
Jeanson, February 2005 photo |
The
interior dome skylight.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, November 2004 |
Historical
marker
On Courthouse Square in Waco
Photo courtesy
Terry
Jeanson, November 2004 |
Historical
Marker TextMcLennan
County CourthouseSeat
of Justice for county organized in 1850 by founders of Waco, to give the young
city added strength. Ironically, until the early 20th century, county oustripped
city in prosperity. This courthouse (the county's fourth) was built during peak
of central Texas cotton wealth. The renaissance
revival design by J.Riely Gordon of Dallas
uses steel, limestone, concrete, and marble, with Texas red granite in the rusticated
base. Housed here are numerous state, district, and county courts, with a law
library open to all citizens. |
Historical
Marker Text
On Courthouse Square, WacoThe
Courthouses of McLennan CountyIn
January 1850, the Texas Legislature created McLennan County from portions of Robertson
and Milam counties, naming it for Neil McLennan, who had settled along the South
Bosque River. In September of that year, the Commissioners Court began preparations
for constructing a two-story log court building, which was completed in August
1851. During construction, county judge R.E.B. Baylor held court in a private
schoolhouse.
By 1856, the county needed a larger courthouse. In August,
they levied taxes to raise funds for a brick building, and Robert H. Smith and
N. M. Saunders served as contractors. Because of problems with the structure,
including two fatalities due to faulty second floor doors, the county built a
new courthouse and jail in the mid-1870s. Noted architect W.C. Dodson designed
the structure, completed in July 1877 by builders J.W. Mann & Bro., and Trice
& Harris. Dodson's design, a two-story brick building, featured a Mansard roof
and clock tower, and was celebrated for its beauty. By 1900, however, it also
became too small for the county's needs. Dodson recommended that the county accept
the plans of James Riely Gordon, renowned throughout Texas and other parts of
the nation for his courthouse designs. The Commissioners Court awarded the construction
contract to Tom Lovell of Denton
and accepted the finished building on March 3, 1902.
One hundred years
later, in September 2002, McLennan County residents celebrated the centennial
of their fourth courts building, a magnificent Renaissance Revival courthouse
crowned with statues of eagles as well as Themis, Justitia and Liberty. Today,
the building remains an emblem of pride and justice, a link to the county's history
and a symbol of its future. |
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McLennan
County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
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