025 of 254:  Hidalgo County Courthouse, Edinburg, Texas.  County Population:  774,769

Hidalgo County, Texas

"Hidalgo County, in South Texas, is bordered by Cameron County, Willacy County and Kenedy County on the east, Brooks County on the north, Starr County on the west, and Mexico on the south.   Hidalgo County comprises 1,596 square miles of the Rio Grande delta. Its elevations range from forty to 200 feet.
"A settlement called La Habitación, also known as Rancho San Luis or San Luisito, was established north of the river at the site of present-day Hidalgo, Texas, in 1774.  By 1836 area farmers had a thriving economic base that allowed them to export their cattle and cattle by-products into Mexico. With the outbreak of the Texas Revolution the area became disputed territory, Mexico considered it part of Tamaulipas, and Texas claimed it as part of its southern border. During the Mexican War, Zachary Taylor laid out the Old Military Road to supply his men in northern Mexico.  By 1850 about thirty-nine ranches were in operation in what later became Hidalgo County.
"Hidalgo County was part of the disputed territory during the Mexican War. After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 the area became part of San Patricio County. In the same year the region was further subdivided and became part of Cameron County.  Hidalgo County was formed in 1852 and named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, who gave the "cry for Mexican independence" from Spanish rule."
Alicia A. Garza, "HIDALGO COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online

I visited Hidalgo County and photographed the courthouses in Hidalgo and Edinburg on September 25, 2009 and again, on July 27, 2014.

Hidalgo County Courthouse, Hidalgo 1886

Hidalgo County Courthouse, Hidalgo, Texas. 1886. Photo courtesy Robert Runyon Collection, Center for American History, UT

April 30, 2014: The Texas Historical Commission announced the recipients of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program Round VIII Grants.  Hidalgo, City of: $450,000 grant award for all work to stabilize, restore and preserve the building including masonry restoration, reconstruction of the second floor and tower, and a total interior restoration. The second floor and tower were destroyed in a fire in the early 20th century. 

The historic courthouse in Hidalgo was identical to the now demolished 1886 Starr County courthouse in nearby Rio Grande City. Both were designed by S. W. Brooks

The Architect Samuel Wallace (aka S. W.) Brooks (1829-1903) lived in Brownsville, Texas.  "His career reflects the spirit that brought other ambitious men such as Charles Stillman and Capt. Richard King from the Northeastern United States to remote South Texas to seek their fortunes. As reported in The Twin Cities of the Border (1893), Mr. Brooks was a Pennsylvanian by birth, but lived in Ohio from the time he was 7 years old until he went to New Orleans and began business there in 1853, as an architect, builder and lumber dealer. He shipped materials for the roof of the Catholic Cathedral in this city, from his lumber yards in 1857, and continued business in New Orleans until 1863. He then came to this section and established himself in Matamoros [Mexico], in the same line of business he had conducted in New Orleans. During a portion of his fifteen years residence in Matamoros, he had interests in both that city and Brownsville, but the latter place gradually demanded his greater attention; as a consequence, he removed to this side of the river in 1878, and has since that time was a permanent resident of this city. Brooks was very active in Brownsville and the Rio Grande Valley in the later 19th Century as an architect, builder and engineer. He is credited with the design or construction of the Fort Brown Hospital and jetties, the Episcopal Church of the Advent, the High School Building, the Browne-Wagner House, the Kowolski-Dennett House, the Frank Armstrong House, the Federal Building, and the Old Cameron County Courthouse, all in Brownsville, as well as county courthouses in Hidalgo and Starr Counties. He held the office of Brownsville City Engineer for eight terms, and held a Patent (No. 120,237 - 1871) for "Improvements in Machines of Making Paving Blocks." The latter was for the manufacture of hexagonal pavers, made locally from the wood of ebony trees (Los Ebanos, as they are called locally)."  From the National Register narrative 

The historic courthouse faces south and slightly west, at the corner of E. Flora Avenue and S. 1st Street

The north façade

A gateway arch on E. Flora Avenue in front of the historic courthouse

Hidalgo County Courthouse, Chaplin (Edinburg) 1909

The county seat was moved from Hidalgo to Chapin, now Edinburg. This beautiful building was demolished in 1954 to make way for a new, larger, "modern" courthouse. Photo, circa 1939, courtesy TXDOT

The cornerstone of the 1909 courthouse is all that remains of this significant building.

Architects Atlee Ayres and Henry Phelps designed this remarkable building. In 1912 Phelps created a very similar courthouse for Atascosa County, in Jourdanton, Texas

That's "Edinburg" with a crooked "D"

Hidalgo County Courthouse, Edinburg 1954

View west on University Drive, towards the Hidalgo County courthouse

The east façade of the Hidalgo County courthouse faces a large parking lot

The view from the front of the courthouse, looking east, over the parking lot and towards University Drive

The southeast corner of the courthouse, designed by Architect R. Newell Waters

The best feature of this modern building is the tropic garden in the southeast corner of the building

The front doors of the courthouse face east, hidden, as it were, by a lush tropical landscape

The northeast corner of the courthouse. This is the secure courtyard entrance for prisoners

The east façade

The courthouse viewed from the southwest, on 10th Avenue

To relieve overcrowding, the county has constructed "temporary" modular buildings in the northwest corner of the courthouse square

The "temporary" courthouse annex at the intersection of N. 10th Avenue and W. McIntyre Street

Hidalgo County leaders mull courthouse options  (November 07, 2011)
The Hidalgo  County courthouse master plan committee hosted its second meeting Monday to discuss future plans for the existing building, an antiquated facility constructed five decades ago for a fraction of the county’s current population. County commissioners created the committee this summer to advise an architectural firm that is developing a plan for expanding and updating the courthouse to meet current judicial needs and functions. Renovating the existing courthouse to comply with standard building regulations will cost $8 million to $10 million, including updating its plumbing, electrical and technological systems. The biggest issue facing the courthouse, though, is a glaring lack of space for operations.Originally built in 1954 to house just three courtrooms, the courthouse has been expanded on three different occasions as county population growth mandated the addition of new courts.

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McAllen-based ERO Architects is nearing the completion of the schematic design phase of the new Hidalgo County courthouse. This design phase is the first of three design steps prior to construction.  Located in the heart of downtown Edinburg, the new Hidalgo County courthouse can serve as an economic and quality of life cornerstone for the city’s urban vision and goals. The design of the new courthouse offers a modern 21st century judicial complex that is more spacious, secure and accessible. The 10-story building features a glass facade on the north side that provides an abundance of natural light with organized vertical transportation from floor-to-floor. It will accommodate 471,000 square feet of space and supports 24 courts and six additional courts for the future.  The three renderings below are shown with the permission of ERO Architects and reflect the schematic design phase.  The design is subject to change as it proceeds through the design and constructions documents process.

Hidalgo County Administrative Offices southeast of the courthouse square, on S. Closner Blvd

Northeast of the courthouse square is the aptly named Museum of South Texas History

The campus of UT - Pan American is a few blocks west of the courthouse square, on University Drive

Delta Lake is in northeast Hidalgo County