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The
1956 Aransas County courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, April 2005 |
The Current
Aransas County Courthouse
Date
- 1956
Architect - Lynn A. Evans
Style - Modern
Material - Brick & steel
Addition - 1983
COURTHOUSE UPDATE:
"Demolition of the 1956 Aransas County courthouse began on February
22, 2018 and was completed in March." - Terry
Jeanson, July 2018.
The Aransas County courthouse was severely damaged by hurricane Harvey
when it came ashore at Rockport on
August 25, 2017 with estimated winds at 140mph. As a result, the courthouse
has been condemned. - Terry
Jeanson, October 4, 2017. |
Aransas
County courthouse damaged by hurricane Harvey.
This photo shows intersecting tower on the courthouse with many missing
granite panels.
Photo courtesy Tim Jeanson, December 2017 |
"Another
view of the Aransas County courthouse with the 1980s addition on the
right."
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, April 2005 |
| "The
closest thing this courthouse has to a cornerstone, this is printed
on the tall, black granite block in the middle of the building."
- Terry
Jeanson |
The 1889 Aransas
County Courthouse
razed
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| "This photo
of the old Aransas County courthouse and jail is displayed in the
foyer. Like the courthouse, the two-story, 1890 brick jail was designed
by architect J. Riely Gordon. It was used until 1955." - Terry
Jeanson |
Designed
by J. Riley Gordon whose other courthouses include the Counties of
Bexar,
Comal,
Ellis,
Erath,
Fayette,
Gonzales,
Hopkins,
Lee,
Victoria
and Wise.
Rockport had been the seat of Refugio
County until the creation of Aransas
County in 1871.
This ornate Moorish design enjoyed popularity for a time. Architects,
particularly those from the eastern U.S., somehow associated palm
trees and severe humidity with north Africa and southern Spain.
Most of Gordon's designs took climate into consideration, providing
ventilation through placement of doors with a central tower.
Razed in the mid-1960s. |
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The
1889 Aransas County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
| "An oil
painting of the 1889 Aransas County courthouse displayed in the lobby
of the current courthouse." Terry
Jeanson |
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The
most picturesque courthouse of Aransas County was the Moorish design
by J. Riely Gordon, finished in 1889, razed mid-1960s
TE Postcard archives |
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