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New Hidalgo County Courthouse Will Definitely be in Edinburg

1/22/2012

2 Comments

 
"EDINBURG, Jan. 19 - A new county courthouse for Hidalgo County would definitely be built in Edinburg, County Judge Ramon Garcia told the Guardian on Wednesday. 
“ 'It is going to be Edinburg. It makes no sense to move it anywhere else. We have already invested over $30 million in buildings and properties in surrounding areas. What are we going to do with them? No, it is going to be Edinburg,' Garcia said."
In an earlier blog post, I discussed the problem:  the current Hildalgo County courthouse is too small and outdated for this rapidly growing population of this south Texas county. 
"In a power point presentation by Eli Ochoa, president and CEO of ERO Architects,  the new courthouse was positioned in the parking lot opposite the current  courthouse. Brian Godinez, one of the principals in the courthouse
master plan  project, told the Guardian that a new courthouse, measuring 289,000 square feet, would likely be eight stories high. The current construction costs  for the new courthouse are estimated to be $55 million."
There's also the issue of what to do with the existing "international style" courthouse.
According to the article, "Wednesday’s meeting also included discussion on whether the current county  courthouse, which was built in the 1950s, could be demolished. Committee members  were told the current courthouse is listed as an historic site and that getting  approval to tear it down is next to impossible.  'The Texas Historical Commission has already made us aware that it would be a violation of state law for us to tear it down so we are not even going to get involved in that. We are going to work towards remodeling it and renovating it,' Garcia said."
Thank goodness the State of Texas now has a statutory means of "preserving" county courthouses!  Even the so-called modern courthouse buildings should be maintained in the interest of historic continuity.  Stay tuned for the Hidalgo County story...
Picture
This Hidalgo County courthouse was demolished. That is why the State of Texas now protects ALL of our "historic" courthouses.
2 Comments
Brantley Hightower link
1/29/2012 08:19:59 am

The old Hidalgo County courthouse looks a bit like the one in Atascosa County, no?

Reply
mario millan
7/29/2012 07:53:24 am

The first county couthouse that was demolished was a real beauty. The courthouse building that we have now has no architectural value. Its an eyesore. A pile of bricks. Get rid of it!

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    Author

    Leonard G. Lane, Jr., AIA
    leonardlane@gmail.com
    I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as soon as I could.  I'm an architect.  And, a photographer on the side.
    I live in Houston, with my wife, Donna.  After our daughter, Hilary, passed the Texas Bar exam she took the oath as an attorney in the historic Harris County courthouse on Friday, November 15, 2013.

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