I'm pretty sure that I've posted photos of the Presidio County Courthouse before, but I have a few more to add. The building's architect was Alfred Giles of San Antonio.
I enjoy not only the architecture of older Texas courthouses, but also their locations. Most of them that I've been by are still prominently anchored "on the square". And some still stoically direct traffic to circle them in some sort of silent omnipotence. I applaud folks for maintaining their heritage.
I can't remember who it was that wrote a tongue-in-cheek remark in an article about government buildings in Texas. I believe the term he coined was "Taco-Victorian Renaissance" or something like that. There does seem to be a commonality in a lot of the architecture, but I personally think its aesthetic.
paden cash, post: 418140, member: 20 wrote: I enjoy not only the architecture of older Texas courthouses, but also their locations. Most of them that I've been by are still prominently anchored "on the square". And some still stoically direct traffic to circle them in some sort of silent omnipotence. I applaud folks for maintaining their heritage.
That's not just a Texas thing. I've got a collection of pictures of county courthouses I've done research in posted on my Facebook page. The vast majority of them are on the square with traffic having to circle around them. I promise you I've never set foot in Texas.
Kent McMillan, post: 418134, member: 3 wrote: I'm pretty sure that I've posted photos of the Presidio County Courthouse before, but I have a few more to add. The building's architect was Alfred Giles of San Antonio.
Curious as to what camera you use for your field pics of courthouses, hotels, etc.
Why waste a full block? Do it like this. Semi trucks can get hung up when all the parking spaces are occupied.
StLSurveyor, post: 418151, member: 7070 wrote: Curious as to what camera you use for your field pics of courthouses, hotels, etc.
That was taken with an iPhone 6 plus which does an excellent job of document photography and is a winner for portability. For landscape photography, I'd prefer to have a camera with an optical zoon and a view finder, although I've been experimenting with the iPhone.
paden cash, post: 418140, member: 20 wrote: I enjoy not only the architecture of older Texas courthouses, but also their locations. Most of them that I've been by are still prominently anchored "on the square". And some still stoically direct traffic to circle them in some sort of silent omnipotence. I applaud folks for maintaining their heritage.
I can't remember who it was that wrote a tongue-in-cheek remark in an article about government buildings in Texas. I believe the term he coined was "Taco-Victorian Renaissance" or something like that. There does seem to be a commonality in a lot of the architecture, but I personally think its aesthetic.
The Texas courthouses vary as civic expressions. The counties with lots of money to pay the freight, notably those whose citizens were flush with money during the cotton boom, spent money on architects and builders as an advertisement for the bright future that lay before them. Show me a county that built a couthouse that hurts the eyes to behold and I'll show you a county with some deep flaw in the society of its inhabitants.
Kent McMillan, post: 418178, member: 3 wrote: .... Show me a county that built a courthouse that hurts the eyes to behold and I'll show you a county with some deep flaw in the society of its inhabitants.
Up here in the Food Stamps Territories we have a few classy courthouses...emphasis on the word few. Most are what I call "Twentieth Century Department of Corrections Classical" . Evidently even the architects embraced the barren hopelessness of living in some areas.
paden cash, post: 418181, member: 20 wrote: Up here in the Food Stamps Territories we have a few classy courthouses...emphasis on the word few. Most are what I call "Twentieth Century Department of Corrections Classical" . Evidently even the architects embraced the barren hopelessness of living in some areas.
That is what I'd call WPA Moderne.
Presidio County is a good name, images of Crissy Field and views of the GG Bridge come to mind.
The Presidio after which Presidio County is named was in what is now known as Ojinaga, a city on the other side of the Rio Grande in Mexico. The first arrival of Europeans to Presidio was in the 16th century, but Native Texans had settled there in pueblos and using irrigated farming methods much earlier.
paden cash, post: 418181, member: 20 wrote: Up here in the Food Stamps Territories we have a few classy courthouses...emphasis on the word few.
This is a Texas example of the same WPA Moderne style, the Eastland County Courthouse (although probably with the unfair advantage of having hired an architect).
Probably the ugliest county courthouse I've seen to date in Texas is that of Kerr County, in Kerrville. An attorney friend of mine perfectly described it as looking like a mental hospital.
Maybe they should make a play and movie about "The best little courthouse in Texas."
I remember seeing a lot of nice old courthouses in Illinois heartland.
Googled it and took me to Amazon where they have books.
It seems that there is a genre of old courthouse books by states.
They had a few of
Texas from expensive coffee table type to guides.
They also had a poster. Who would have thunk it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1585443255/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8FHWJW7J12SMGF34ERR8
in case Kent does not make it to all 254 counties in Texas
A Harris, post: 418575, member: 81 wrote: in case Kent does not make it to all 254 counties in Texas
Those are sad images of otherwise interesting buildings, though. Part of the art of photographing architecture is paying attention to the light and shadow on the building and that requires being there at specific times of day. Thost photos look as if the US Power Squadron shot them between reporting benchmarks "Not Found".
What would really be interesting is to also photograph the county employees who make the courthouse operate, not as a group, but in small enough groups that individuals are identifiable.
A local photographer made a retirement project of photographing every courthouse in Iowa. I have his published poster-size composite with the images placed on a map of Iowa. But of course we only have 99 counties at present, and I think 100 courthouses. I'm not sure he would have tackled 254.
He was the company photographer where I worked and took the most flattering portrait ever done of me. And was a heck of a nice guy.
There are courthouses that just hurt your eyes and mind to look at. This is the Hamilton County Courthouse that looks as if it was purchased in pieces from Sears & Roebuck. I just don't think there is much that time of day can do for it.
The other aspect of the county courthouses that is more than a little revealing is the assemblage of monuments that various County Commissioners have allowed to be installed on the grounds. In some cases, the statues are active parts of the building's public face, such as this one at the Llano County Courthouse in (where else?) Llano.
