Fannin County Courthouse (Texas) Explained

Fannin County Courthouse
Coordinates:33.5776°N -96.1787°W
Location Town:Bonham, Texas
Location Country:United States
Architect:1888 Wesley Clark Dodson (1829-1914) of Dodson & Dudley of Waco, TX; 1965, unknown
Construction Start Date:1888
Completion Date:1889, lost tower 1929 fire; massive renovation 1969, restoration complete 2022
Style:1889 Second Empire; 1965 Modern Movement, Art Deco

The Fannin County Courthouse is a 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 appeared 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]

On November 8, 2016, a courthouse restoration bond proposal was passed by Fannin County voters. This $12.5 million bond, in conjunction with a matching $5 million grant from the Texas Historical Commission, will restore the courthouse to its original 1888 design.

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.txfannin.org/ Fannin County GenWeb: Picture of pre-1929 courthouse with tower
  2. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txfannin/fccourthouse.html Pictures during and right after 1929 fire and later
  3. http://www.forttours.com/pages/hmfannin.asp Texts of all Fannin County historical markers including the one for the courthouse which misspells Lueders
  4. http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/Bonham/Bonham-Texas-Fannin-County-Courthouse.htm Texas Escapes page on Fannin County Courthouse
  5. http://www.familytree101.com/texas/fannin-county.html Familytree 101 Fannin County
  6. Web site: KXIL TV story . 2011-02-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110713174851/http://www.kxii.com/station/headlines/15788502.html . 2011-07-13 . dead.