Facts
📍 Region: South Texas Plains / City: Gonzales
🗓️ Year Built: 1896 (Remodeled 1958)
🧑🎨 Architect: James Riely Gordon
🏛️ Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
💎 Unique Details: Its cruciform layout, punctuated by four semicircular entrance bays, creates a distinctive and balanced form. The central clock tower is adorned with open cupolas and gargoyle water spouts.
Why See It?
It’s one of the finest Romanesque Revival courthouses in Texas. With its soaring clock tower, intricate stone and brickwork, and elegant interior staircase, it’s a bold statement of 19th-century civic pride and architectural ambition. It’s not just a courthouse—it’s a centerpiece of Texas history in one of the state’s most storied towns.
Nearby Highlights
Gonzales County Jail Museum – Located in the original jail built in 1885, this museum offers insights into the town’s law enforcement history. The brick structure was built to hold 200 prisoners under riot conditions.
Gonzales Memorial Museum – This museum commemorates the “Immortal 32” who died in the Alamo. It houses the original “Come and Take It” cannon and features exhibits related to the early history of the region.
Palmetto State Park – This semi-tropical park offers a unique landscape with dwarf palmettos, bogs, and the San Marcos River.
Photo Gallery
