The Bexar County Courthouse is a historic building in
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, USA.
The building was designed by architect
J. Riely Gordon, and borders Main Plaza, along with such other architectural landmarks as the
Cathedral of San Fernando Cathedral of San Fernando or San Fernando Cathedral may refer to:
* Basilca Cathedral of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina
* Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (Pampanga), Philippines
* Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (Re ...
. The style is
Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
, and the main material used is red
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
. Ground was broken for Gordon's structure on August 4, 1891, and the cornerstone was laid December 17, 1892. After several delays, construction was fully completed in 1896. The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1977.
The Courthouse currently functions as the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Bexar County
Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...
.
Gallery
File:MainstreetSA.jpg, Main Plaza, Cathedral, and Court House, San Antonio, Texas
File:San Antonio July 2017 06 (Bexar County Courthouse).jpg, The Courthouse viewed from Main Plaza
File:Bexar County Courthouse, San Antonio (2006).jpg, Another view of the Courthouse
File:Bexar County Court House Postcard Image.jpg, Postcard illustration of Bexar County Court House (ca.1896-1907)
See also
*
Main and Military Plazas Historic District
External links
Texas Historical Commission - ''Bexar County Courthouse''* More pictures related to early San Antonio, Texas, a
University of Houston Digital Library
Buildings and structures in San Antonio
Romanesque Revival architecture in Texas
County courthouses in Texas
James Riely Gordon buildings
Government buildings completed in 1896
National Register of Historic Places in San Antonio
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
{{Texas-NRHP-stub