The drive back to Austin yesterday took me past a couple of courthouses in the late afternoon. The first was that of Throckmorton County whose present population of about 1,500 is spread out over 915 square miles. Throckmorton is basically cattle ranching country with farming and some oil and gas production, although that last category is down after a boom in 2015.
So, the picture is of a county that hasn't outgrown its courthouse, but one that has had enough money to spend on restoring the original structure which sits right beside US Hwy. 180.
The early morning light on the highway side of the courthouse would have been my preference, but it wasn't in the cards yesterday. So I settled for the South and West sides of the building which had unusual landscaping and quirky signage.
As far as I know, this is the only county courthouse in Texas with cow skulls decorating the grounds as if either someone wasn't minding the water troughs or was fond of barbacoa.
As for the signage, you be the judge.
Kent McMillan, post: 427136, member: 3 wrote: PUSH BUTTON TO OPEN DOOR...
Probably need to pull the chain, too.
[MEDIA=youtube]2tsnDZsKwMY[/MEDIA]
Kent McMillan, post: 427136, member: 3 wrote: but one that has had enough money to spend on restoring the original structure
If they had enough money to restore the original structure why did they ruin the whole scheme with the white staircase? The stairs have the architectural appeal of an electrical sub-station.
FL/GA PLS., post: 427201, member: 379 wrote: If they had enough money to restore the original structure why did they ruin the whole scheme with the white staircase? The stairs have the architectural appeal of an electrical sub-station.
I'd think that's a fire escape and that it probably wasn't a bad idea considering that the structure itself that was built in 1890 probably has wood-framed floors and internal stairs. The back sides of Texas courthouses tend to be where the engineers took over the aesthetic choices. Here is another view of that same side with the new fire escape and the cow skull landscaping:
It's also true that a good architect could have detailed the fabricated steel to give it more of a period character for not much additional money. As it is, it isn't any triumph of design.
I like the avant-garde art installation of HVAC equipment. Very evocative of Man's connection to and reliance on technology.
