Eugene T. Heiner Explained

Eugene Thomas Heiner (August 20, 1852 – 1901) was an American architect who designed numerous courthouses, county jails, and other public buildings in Texas. He was born in New York City, apprenticed in Chicago, and studied further in Germany.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} His works includes buildings listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Early life

Eugene Heiner was born on August 20, 1852, in New York City.^[1] As a teenager, he studied under an architect in Chicago, before moving to Dallas in 1877. He moved to Texas the next year, where he practiced architecture for the rest of his career.

Career

He won a design competition and earned a commission to design the Galveston County Jailhouse. He also designed the Smith County Jail in 1881 and Gonzales County Jail. In addition to designing many Texas jails over the next two decades, he also designed courthouses in Texas. Three of these, the Colorado County Courthouse, Old Brazoria County Courthouse, and the Lavaca County Courthouse, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He is also credited with the design of a building at Texas A & M University in College Station, Texas, and one at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.^[1]

Heiner executed various commissions in Galveston and Houston. These included the Blum Building (Galveston), the Kaufman and Runge Building (Galveston), and his best known buildings in Houston: the Houston Cotton Exchange, the W. L. Foley Building, and the Sweeney and Coombs Opera House.^[1]

Personal life

In 1878, Heiner married Viola Isenhour. The couple had four daughters.^[1]

Death and legacy

Heiner died in Houston on April 26, 1901.^[1] He is buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston. A marker by the Texas State Historical Commission commemorates his work.^[5]

Works

Works include:

• A. E. Kiesling Drug Store, Main Street, Houston (1875, cloaked under a slipcover)^[6]
• Leon & H. Blum Building (1879), now Tremont House (Galveston, Texas), 2300 Mechanic Street, Galveston, Texas^[7]
• Sweeney and Coombs Building (1880), 310 Main Street, Market Square Historic District, Houston
• Smith County Jail, 1881, 309 Erwin St. Tyler, TX (Heiner, Eugene), NRHP-listed
• Kauffman & Runge Building (1882), now Stewart Title Building (Galveston, Texas), 220 22nd Street, Galveston, Texas^[8]
• Henry Brashear Building (1882), Market Square Historic District, Houston^[9]
• Galveston County Courthouse (refacing of 1857 building in 1882, destroyed in fire, 1896)^[10]
• Houston Cotton Exchange Building (1884), 202 Travis St. Houston, TX (Heiner,Eugene), NRHP-listed^[9]
• Jasper County Courthouse (1889), Public Sq. Jasper, TX (Heiner,Eugene T.), NRHP-listed
• T. W. House Bank, Main Street, Houston (1889, demolished)^[11]
• W. L. Foley Building (1889 reconstruction), 214—218 Travis St. Houston, TX (Heiner,Eugene T.), NRHP-listed^[9]

• Colorado County Courthouse (1890), Bounded by Milam, Spring, Travis and Walnut Sts. Columbus, TX (Heiner,Eugene T.), NRHP-listed
• Old Brazoria County Courthouse (1894), Public Sq. Angleton, TX (Heiner,Eugene T.), NRHP-listed
• Sweeney & Coombs Opera House, Houston (1894, demolished)^[12]
• Harris County Jail, Houston (1894, demolished)^[13]
• Houston High School, Houston (1894, demolished)^[14]
• Lavaca County Courthouse (1897), bounded by LaGrange, 2nd, 3rd, and Main Sts. Hallettsville, TX (Heiner,T.), NRHP-listed
• Wiley J. Croom House, 205 E. Milam Wharton, TX (Heiner, Eugene), NRHP-listed

• De Witt County Courthouse, bounded by N. Gonzales, E. Live Oak, N. Clinton, and E. Courthouse Sts. Cuero, TX (Heiner,Eugene), NRHP-listed
• Gonzales County Jail, Courthouse Sq. on St. Lawrence St. Gonzales, TX (Heiner,Eugene T.), NRHP-listed
• One or more works in Gonzales Commercial Historic District, roughly bounded by Water, Saint Andrew, Saint Peter, and Saint Matthew Sts. Gonzales, TX (Heiner, Eugene T.,et al.), NRHP-listed

Bibliography

• Book: Beasley . Ellen . Fox . Stephen . Galveston Architecture Guidebook . Houston . Rice University Press . 0-89263-346-8.
• Book: Robinson, Willard B. . Gone from Texas: Our Lost Architectural Heritage . College Station, TX . Texas A&M University Press . 1981 . 0-89096-106-9.

External links

• • Texas Courthouses on Texas Escapes.com

Notes and References

1. Web site: HEINER, EUGENE T.. Texas State Historical Association. Handbook of Texas Online. September 9, 2020. Fox. Stephen. March 7, 2017.
2. Web site: Eugene Thomas Heiner, the forgotten hero. November 10, 2018.
3. Web site: The Courthouses of Eugene Heiner.
4. Web site: Eugene T. Heiner, Architect – 254 Texas Courthouses .
5. Book: Turner . Suzanne . Wilson . Joanne Seale . Houston's Silent Garden: Glenwood Cemetery, 1878–2009 . Texas A&M University Press . College Station . 2010 . 225.
6. Robinson (1981), p. 124.
7. Beasley and Fox (1996), p. 30.
8. Beasley and Fox (1996), p. 33.
9. Web site: Houston Archaeologican & Historical Commission . April 14, 2008 . Protected Landmark Designation Report: Sweeney and Coombs Building . April 20, 2023 .
10. Beasley and Fox (1996), p. 54.
11. Robinson (1981), p. 166.
12. Robinson (1981), p. 155.
13. Robinson (1981), p. 216.
14. Robinson (1981), p. 192.