Fannin County Courthouse (Texas)

Fannin County Courthouse

Fannin County Courthouse in 2010
General information
Architectural style 1889 Second Empire; 1965 Modern Movement, Art Deco
Town or city Bonham, Texas
Country United States
Coordinates 33°34′39″N 96°10′43″W / 33.5776°N 96.1787°W / 33.5776; -96.1787Coordinates: 33°34′39″N 96°10′43″W / 33.5776°N 96.1787°W / 33.5776; -96.1787
Construction started 1888
Completed 1889, lost tower 1929 fire; massive renovation 1969
Design and construction
Architect 1888 Wesley Clark Dodson (1829-1914) of Dodson & Dudley of Waco, TX; 1965, unknown
Aerial view of Fannin County Courthouse
For comparison Hood County Courthouse in 2008

The Fannin County Courthouse is an historic courthouse building located in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas. Built in 1888-1889 of rough-cut local limestone from Gober by Scottish-born stonemasons Kane and Cormack, it was designed in the Second Empire style of architecture by Waco-based architect Wesley Clark Dodson (1829–1914) of the firm Dodson and Dudley. As built it was similar in appearance to the Hood County Courthouse Dodson designed shortly after it.[1] Its central clock tower and elaborate mansard roof were destroyed by fire on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1929, and were replaced by a flat roof.[2] In 1965 the courthouse was modernized, the remaining roof pediments were removed and the exterior was covered with a smooth surface of what is called Lueders stone or Lueders limestone, so that it now appears to be a Moderne or rather plain Art Deco building.[3] [4] [5]

In 2008 the county received a state historical renovation grant and discussion ensued about whether to restore the building to its earlier grandeur.[6]

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, July 26, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.