The existing Travis County courthouse, 1931, on the front left, has seen many additions over the years
I was in Austin last week for the annual convention of the Texas Society of Architects. On Thursday morning I stole away from the convention for an hour and photographed the Travis County courthouse for the second time. My first visit to the courthouse was over Labor weekend 2011. When I arrived in Austin that Sunday afternoon the temperature was well over 100 degrees. The thermometer in my car read 114 when I parked and began walking around the building. Needless to say, I didn't last very long outside. This second visit, under much nicer weather conditions, allowed me to tour the buildings, inside and out. Since then, I've updated the Travis County page on this website.
I came away from this courthouse visit fully convinced that the current courthouse is not up to the needs of a growing Travis County, now with over 1 million residents. The courthouse interior is very dated and inefficient. And, there's just no land for any more additions. Having come to that conclusion on my own, I began a Google search and discovered that Travis County officials agreed. In fact:
"In December 2010, the county purchased land at 308 Guadalupe, a parking lot bounded by Third, Fourth, Guadalupe and San Antonio. The Austin American-Statesman reported the purchase price at $22 million." KUTnews
I came away from this courthouse visit fully convinced that the current courthouse is not up to the needs of a growing Travis County, now with over 1 million residents. The courthouse interior is very dated and inefficient. And, there's just no land for any more additions. Having come to that conclusion on my own, I began a Google search and discovered that Travis County officials agreed. In fact:
"In December 2010, the county purchased land at 308 Guadalupe, a parking lot bounded by Third, Fourth, Guadalupe and San Antonio. The Austin American-Statesman reported the purchase price at $22 million." KUTnews
On May 25, 2012 the Austin Business Journal reported "A committee of 12 real estate, financial and legal experts has been tasked with helping Travis County Commissioners decide how to build the new civil and family courthouse downtown, and they are looking for others to serve on a community advisory committee.
" 'We plan to use their collective expertise to help us select a delivery method, that is, whether we should solicit formally for a design-build method of construction and financing, or a public-private partnership,' County Judge Sam Biscoe said.
"The plan will ultimately yield a high-rise building at Third and Guadalupe streets."
Fittingly, this site is directly across the street from Republic Square Park. According to the Travis County History website, "Several buildings, including a log cabin, unofficially served as courthouse prior to 1855. The first building constructed specifically for the purpose was a simple, two-story stone structure at 4th and Guadalupe streets, near what is now Republic Park. By the 1860s, the county jail was proving to be inadequate and the public found the Courthouse location inconvenient. In 1876, this first courthouse was abandoned when a larger building was erected, and in 1906 the stone structure was deemed unsafe and was demolished."
And so, eventually, Travis County may return to it's first home. If, and when, the financing for what is projected to be a $300 to $400 million dollar development can be worked out. For more information, see this article from The Austin Chronicle, titled "Courting Change."
" 'We plan to use their collective expertise to help us select a delivery method, that is, whether we should solicit formally for a design-build method of construction and financing, or a public-private partnership,' County Judge Sam Biscoe said.
"The plan will ultimately yield a high-rise building at Third and Guadalupe streets."
Fittingly, this site is directly across the street from Republic Square Park. According to the Travis County History website, "Several buildings, including a log cabin, unofficially served as courthouse prior to 1855. The first building constructed specifically for the purpose was a simple, two-story stone structure at 4th and Guadalupe streets, near what is now Republic Park. By the 1860s, the county jail was proving to be inadequate and the public found the Courthouse location inconvenient. In 1876, this first courthouse was abandoned when a larger building was erected, and in 1906 the stone structure was deemed unsafe and was demolished."
And so, eventually, Travis County may return to it's first home. If, and when, the financing for what is projected to be a $300 to $400 million dollar development can be worked out. For more information, see this article from The Austin Chronicle, titled "Courting Change."
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