064 of 254: Nolan County Courthouse, Sweetwater, Texas. County Population: 15,216
Nolan County, Texas
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"[Nolan County] lies on the lower plains, with the western end of the Callahan Divide in the southern section of the county. The land is pre-dominantly rolling uplands to the north, with plateaus traversed by valleys in the south; altitudes range from 2,000 to 2,700 feet above sea level.
"The area of Nolan County had no Anglo settlers until after the Civil War, when buffalo hunters came to the plains. The county was carved from the Young-Bexar territory by the Texas legislature in 1876 and attached to Shackelford County for administrative purposes. Knight's store on Sweetwater Creek was started in a dugout in 1877 to serve buffalo hunters operating in the area. The county's first post office was opened in 1879 in the village of Sweet Water, which was two words until the spelling was officially changed in 1918. "The county was named for Philip Nolan. "The county was organized after an election held on January 20, 1881, and in April the Nolan County Court declared that Sweetwater was to be the new permanent county seat. The townsite was on the Texas and Pacific Railway, which had built into the area that March. "The largest tourist attraction in Nolan County is the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-Up, held each March." Gerald McDaniel, "NOLAN COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online I visited Nolan County and photographed the courthouse on July 27, 2010, May 17, 2012, June 1, 2013, October 18, 2014, and July 12, 2015. |
The blade of a wind turbine serves as a sign for the city of Sweetwater on I-20
Nolan County courthouse 1888 Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
A simple Italianate design by James Edward Flanders.
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Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
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Nolan County courthouse 1917 Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
A classical revival design by C.H. Page and Brother of Austin.
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Image courtesy courthousehistory.com
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Nolan County Courthouse 1977
Designed by Welch and Hampton Architects, this abstract design has all the appeal of a military fortification.
May 2012: the courthouse skin (granite panels that were beginning to fall off) have been removed. A new skin will be installed. Material TBD.
View south from the courthouse.
The north facade of the courthouse.
May 2012 photograph with the granite removed.
The courthouse lobby features a saddle and rifle collection.
The west wing of the courthouse houses a jail.
May 2012. A portion of the sloping base has been removed to expose the under-lying construction.
May 2012. Samples of stone cladding that might replace the granite.
The east wing of the courthouse and some of the surrounding historic square.
East façade: the new skin is nearing completion on October 18, 2014
The south façade: work on the new skin is almost complete
The north entrance is complete
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The project's cornerstone is ready
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Nolan County Courthouse 2014
The south façade of the courthouse is on Broadway Street
A war memorial on the courthouse grounds
The southeast corner of the courthouse
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The north entrance is on 3rd Street
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The "new" Nolan County courthouse is a vast improvement over the previous version. Gone is the sloping granite base of the exterior wall that was so unnecessary. The new design, by Architects Wiginton Hooker Jeffry (now part of Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects) illustrates the power of material, color and scale on the exterior of buildings. By the way, a shout-out is due the stone supplier: TexaStone Quarries in Garden City, seat of Glasscock County!
The northwest corner of the courthouse. Secure access is through the enclosure on the right
View of historic buildings on 3rd Street, across from the courthouse
"The Sweetwater Commercial Historic District represents the architectural and historical heritage of the city. The irregularly shaped district contains a con-centrated group of early twentieth-century commercial and governmental structures. In a variety of styles, the structures portray the development of the city.
Because the growth rate slowed and stabilized in the mid-1930s, Sweetwater's downtown area is small, compact in scale, and displays an architectural
diversity no longer found in most contemporary West Texas cities. From the National Register narrative
Because the growth rate slowed and stabilized in the mid-1930s, Sweetwater's downtown area is small, compact in scale, and displays an architectural
diversity no longer found in most contemporary West Texas cities. From the National Register narrative
The courthouse square features a number of significant historic buildings. This bank dates from 1922.
1906
The Post Office dates from 1931. It's identical to the Post Office in Coleman.
The Municipal Auditorium. A 1926 design by C.H. Page and Brother of Austin.
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I-20 crosses Nolan County east to west.