Thursday, March 27, 2025
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Coryell County Commissioners Court heard a presentation by Architexas representative Alexis McKinney to update the commissioners on the recent investigative findings concerning the Coryell County Courthouse and presented them with their recommendations regarding a master plan for the structure.
Architexas conducted an in-depth building investigation between Nov. 6. 2024 and Jan. 28, 2025, using Matterport laser imaging to create a detailed floor plan of the Coryell County Courthouse.
The master plan for the courthouse, when approved by the Texas State Historical Commission, would allow the county to apply for grants to refurbish and update the courthouse so that the structure could continue to be a “working courthouse.”
Completed in 1898, the building does suffer from a few structural issues, which were brought to the attention of the commissioners by Architexas. “For the most part, I want to say that the courthouse is in excellent condition. There are some structural concerns – it needs to be fire sprinkled. There’s definitely a fire safety concern,” McKinney said.
The Coryell County Courthouse is one of the 15 courthouses built in Texas by architect Wesley Clark Dodson – only six of which remain. McKinney reported that the courthouse in Gatesville is the last one to be updated and restored. She said that the Gatesville courthouse is a significant example of Dodson’s “Golden Age” of Texas courthouse construction.
McKinney provided detailed information about all three floors of the building, including the basement, attic, and bell tower. She presented short-term as well as long-term solutions for the restoration of the building.
Some of the more critical concerns discovered by Architexas include fire safety, accessibility, damp conditions in the basement, deteriorating mortar between the foundation stones, roof leaks, cinder concrete flooring concerns, site handrail replacement for building codes, and the resecuring of the bell attachment in the dome.
McKinney told the commissioners that the master plan would allow the county to apply for grants to cover the estimated 12.8 million dollars – stating that 10 million of this cost could possibly come from the Texas Historical Commission. She explained, “This is a ball-park number, an estimate, cost-wise for a full restoration.” She also said that the THC recently increased their funding for such projects, and that there is a strong chance that the county would receive 10 million to help with the project.
On a humorous note, McKinney related that on a recent fly-by inspection of the outside of the structure by a drone, honey bees were seen flying around the eagle, which is perched on top of the building – reminiscent of the continuing dilemma the courthouse has faced with the bee colony located in the attic of the building.
County Judge Roger Miller would later mention that the first draft of the Master Plan would be submitted to the Texas State Historical Commission by the end of February or in the first few weeks of March. He also stated that the application period for funding by the THC for the restoration is now closed and that the county would have to wait until 2026 to make an application.
Miller also mentioned that it would probably be the first part of 2029 before the actual restoration process of the courthouse would begin.
“Our plan is to restore and preserve this historic structure,” he said.
