Bexar County Courthouse, Romanesque Revival courthouse in downtown San Antonio, United States
The Bexar County Courthouse is a four-story red sandstone building in Romanesque Revival style on Main Plaza in downtown San Antonio. Its tallest element is a square clock tower with a conical roof and arched openings, flanked by round turrets with conical caps. A second, shorter tower with a steep green pyramidal roof stands on the right, and a stone fountain basin sits before the arched entrance.
Ground was broken on August 4, 1891, and the cornerstone laid December 17, 1892; James Riely Gordon's design was completed in 1896. The building replaced an earlier Casas Reales structure of 1742 on the same site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and rededicated in 2015 after a $9.1 million restoration.
The courthouse borders Main Plaza, next to the Cathedral of San Fernando. Its Romanesque Revival design by James Riely Gordon won a competition in 1891. The building remains the active county seat of Bexar County, and a 2015 rededication marked the end of a $9.1 million restoration that removed the 1963 and 1972 additions.
The building sits on Dolorosa Street in the downtown area and remains in active use as a courthouse throughout weekdays. Some interior areas may be restricted depending on ongoing court proceedings and security protocols.
The 1963 and 1972 additions, about 9,000 and 39,000 square feet, were removed in a $9.1 million restoration that returned the building toward its original plan and added new entrances and a stairway. The courthouse was rededicated in 2015.
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