Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program

Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program is sponsored by Texas Historical Commission. Awards planning grants for counties to produce architectural plans and specifications; construction grants for counties to undertake construction; and emergency grants to address issues endangering a historic courthouse or its occupants.

Courthouse Grant Program | Texas Historical Commission Texas has more historic courthouses than any other state. Today more than 240 courthouses still stand that are least 50 years old. About 80 were built before the turn of the 20th century.

By the end of that century, most of these structures were significantly deteriorated due to inadequate maintenance, insensitive modifications or weather related damage. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) documented the condition of 50 of the state’s oldest courthouses in the late 1990s and determined that counties lacked the resources to preserve the buildings for future generations.

The Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP) offers funding to counties through its nationally renowned, award-winning grant program. The THCPP may award up to $10 million to eligible counties through a biannual, competitive application process.

How to Participate in the Courthouse Grant Program To participate in the THCPP and be eligible to receive grant funding, a project must meet the following criteria: A building that serves or has served as a county courthouse A building that is over 50 years old or is certified as worthy of preservation A building that has a current master plan approved by the THC. View approved master plans (PDF).

Grant cycles are held every two years following an appropriation for the program by the Legislature, and requests are considered for emergency grants that fund work to protect the building or its users, planning grants to develop construction documents for the full restoration of a historic courthouse and construction grants to fund the full restoration of a historic county courthouse.

Counties with a grant-funded fully-restored courthouse are eligible for emergency funding and will compete for funding against other returning applicants. Out-of-cycle funding is considered by the full commission at its Quarterly Meeting to undertake emergency work that is urgent and due to an unanticipated event and to supplement existing construction projects that encounter unforeseen conditions.

In support of the projects completed with state grant funds, the THC also created the Texas Courthouse Stewardship Program , which provides technical assistance and training to county staff on how to maintain their newly restored courthouse.

Out-of-Cycle Grant Funding Courthouses with an approved Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP) master plan may apply for emergency funding at any time, and construction grant recipients may apply for supplemental funding to address changes to their project. Emergency Grants Out-of-Cycle On rare occasions, the Texas Historical Commission awards emergency grants outside the biannual, competitive grant cycle.

To be considered for an out-of-cycle emergency grant, counties must have an approved THCPP master plan. For the Commission to consider applications out of the competitive grant cycle, the proposed work must undertake an extremely urgent repair that, if not addressed immediately, would mean risk of losing part or all the building or putting users in extreme danger.

As determined by a professional, the courthouse must require immediate stabilization to prevent partial or total loss, or the building condition must pose significant risk to character-defining features or risk of collapse if the issue is not addressed immediately.

Out-of-cycle emergency funding can be used to accomplish only the minimum scope required to preserve the building or the lives of its users, or allow for continued use of the building while awaiting the next competitive grant cycle or until the grant recipient can self-fund a more complete project.

For previously restored courthouses, work proposed for grant funding cannot be related to deferred maintenance or anticipated cyclical repairs or system replacements. For all THCPP emergency grants, the local minimum match is 30 percent for unrestored courthouses and 50 percent for previously restored courthouses.

Out-of-Cycle Emergency Grant Applications will be scored using the same emergency scoring system used for competitive emergency grant applications. To request emergency funding, complete the application below and provide the requested information at least 60 days prior to the first day of the THC Quarterly Meeting during which the funding will be considered. The signed PDF application must be submitted to courthouse_program@thc.

texas. gov for consideration. If your files are too large, please email at least 72 hours in advance to request a OneDrive folder.

Our Program Specialist will reply to the email with a link to the folder and you will be able to place your application materials in the folder. NOTE: If there was an opportunity for the county to submit a grant application as part of a competitive grant cycle, then the THC cannot consider the request out-of-cycle. Award of Emergency Grants out-of-cycle depends on the availability of funding.

Emergency Out-of-Cycle Application As outlined in each round’s construction grant manual, grant recipients may request supplemental funding to increase their grant award when faced with project changes in scope or less often, cost.

To request supplemental funding, complete the application below and provide the requested information at least 60 days prior to the first day of the THC Quarterly Meeting during which the funding will be considered. Supplemental funding may or may not be approved by the Commission.

Decisions depend on the availability of funding, whether the scope of work was unforeseen, the significance of the scope of work to the preservation of the courthouse, and whether the grant recipient has already reached the $10 million cap. The signed PDF application must be submitted to courthouse_program@thc. texas.

gov for consideration. If your files are too large, please email at least 72 hours in advance to request a OneDrive folder. Our Program Specialist will reply to the email with a link to the folder and you will be able to place your application materials in the folder.

Award of Supplemental Funding depends on the availability of funding. Supplemental Funding Application The 88th Texas Legislature has allocated $100 million for the 2026-27 Round XIV grant cycle of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP).

The program may award grants totaling up to $10 million per county toward full restoration construction, the development of architectural construction documents, or to address critical needs that endanger the building or its occupants. The Round XIV grant application materials are now available . Completed digital applications will be due by 5 p.

m. on Friday, May 8, 2026, and awards will be announced at the Commission’s quarterly meeting in July 2026. The nationally recognized grant program has funded the full restoration of 81 historic county courthouses and assisted 26 additional applicants with emergency or planning projects.

In partnership with program participants, the state has contributed nearly $400 million and local governments nearly $300 million toward courthouse preservation. In addition to providing safe and functional buildings, restoration of these landmarks benefits local and state economies, generates investment in local and state businesses, revitalizes historic downtowns, and promotes heritage tourism.

Round XIV funding offers an opportunity for more participants to modernize their county courthouses to meet current energy efficiency standards, security, life safety code, accessibility, and functional requirements while preserving the outstanding architecture and craft of these cherished symbols of local government.

THCPP Round XIII Grant Awards The Texas Historical Commission (THC) announced grant recipients for Round XIII of the nationally recognized Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP) during its July 26 quarterly meeting in Austin. The THC awarded matching grants totaling $46,224,170 to nine counties to aid in preservation of their historic courthouses. Round XIII awards are listed below.

The THCPP Round XIII grants were made possible through a $45 million appropriation by the 88th Texas Legislature and an additional $3-4 million is anticipated in September from the Historic Infrastructure Sustainability Trust Fund. More than $2 million of the appropriated funds were distributed over the last year to counties with unforeseen conditions in the form of supplemental funding.

The THC received applications from 31 counties requesting construction funding of nearly $150 million for projects totaling over $200 million. The program has awarded over $400 million since the program’s inception and of the 145 counties participating in the program, 106 counties have received grant funding and 81 of those have received full restoration funding.

There are still 25 applicants awaiting full restoration funding after receiving planning and emergency grants and another 37 program participants that have not yet received any funding at all, with a total outstanding need among participants of over $650 million.

Round XIII Awards Applicant Grant Type Award Castro Planning $1,280,067 Comanche Full Restoration $9,071,939 Donley Emergency $2,594,947 Duval Emergency $816,365 Freestone Full Restoration $6,379,490 Gonzales Planning $1,095,429 Kimble Full Restoration $9,300,452 Refugio Emergency $4,000,000 Washington Emergency Out-of-Cycle $2,234,653 Willacy Full Restoration $8,743,671 Current Courthouse Grant Projects 2023 Courthouse Advisory Committee Recommendations The Texas Historical Commission convened a Courthouse Advisory Committee that met in April and May 2023 to examine specific aspects of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP).

Approaching its 25-year anniversary, the program has attracted more than 140 participants and awarded more than $360 million to counties to fund the full restorations of 78 courthouses and provide smaller grants to assist with emergency and planning projects.

The Commission appointed a Committee on February 1, 2023 to advise the Commission on improving construction quality to limit the number of courthouses returning for funding following their full restorations, examine the priorities of the THCPP by identifying buildings eligible for grant funding, and refine its grant project selection process.

County judges and commissioners, facilities managers, a representative from the Texas Association of Counties, THC commissioners, preservation architects, and contractors comprised the Committee. The Committee met virtually on April 4 and April 12, 2023 to discuss the topics and make initial recommendations on how to address concerns, and on May 24, 2023 to finalize the Committee’s recommendations.

Committee members reviewed and approved final revisions to draft recommendations, and the Commission adopted the final recommendations at its July 2023 Quarterly Meeting. Changes based on the CAC Recommendations will be integrated into the program and the Round XIII grant cycle and application material will reflect these changes.

2023 Courthouse Advisory Committee Recommendations (Approved) 2025 Architecture Committee Recommendations Following Round XIII, the THC's Architecture Committee met on December 17, 2024, and May 27, 2025, to address concerns from the round.

The Committee discussed distribution of awards across application types, emergency grant considerations, funding caps, emergency grants for previously restored courthouses, and out-of-cycle grant requests. These recommendations are a result of those meetings and were adopted by the full THC Commission on August 1, 2025.

2025 Final Recommendations and Changes to THCPP Policies (Approved) Benefits of Restoring Historic Courthouses In addition to saving important historic landmarks, there are many benefits that follow the restoration of a historic courthouse through the Texas Historical Commission's award-winning Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.

Restored historic courthouses have proven to be an economic booster for the Texas and local county economies. The counties with restored historic courthouses also see an impact in the form of increased safety, accessibility, energy efficiency, tourism, and more.

Economic Benefits of Restored Historic Courthouses Since 1999, through courthouse preservation projects over 11,800 jobs for Texans have been created over $690 million in income generated over $850 million increase in gross state product and over $44 million in state and local taxes 21 major motion pictures include scenes shot in a historic Texas courthouse, including “Bernie,” “True Grit,” “Lone Star,” and “The Tree of Life".

HBO's popular series "The Leftovers" features the Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart. Travel in Texas is a $74 billion industry. Texas towns with restored courthouses are frequently a heritage tourism destination as demonstrated by visitors from 29 states and seven countries to the DeWitt County Courthouse over a three-year period.

Nearly half of Texas’ restored historic courthouses are in a Main Street community. An example of how a Texas community can benefit from its courthouse restoration is Lampasas, which now has more than nine courthouse square events that draw approximately 9,000 people annually.

A common story among communities with restored courthouses: the commercial properties on the Wharton County Courthouse square experienced a 279 percent increase in property values between 2006–2010, after the courthouse project was completed. Occupancy rates increased from 30 to 70 percent during the same period. Not only is each courthouse restored to its historic appearance, but each is fully updated to the 21st century.

Here are some of the direct benefits to counties: A restored courthouse is the centerpiece of a vital historic downtown square and increases heritage tourism. Once the building has been restored, its maintenance becomes manageable. Updated mechanical systems with more energy efficient systems can lead to significant savings on utility costs, not to mention provide a more sustainable option.

Updated, modern electrical systems create a safer environment for county employees and residents, as well as increased energy efficiency. ADA-accessible ramps and elevators are installed and compliance with other accessibility requirements is met so that the courthouse is accessible to everyone.

Installation of fire detection, alert, and suppression systems (sprinkler system) increase user safety and help limit damage in the event of a fire. Restored courthouses provide safe and secure storage for vital county records as well a more efficient space for use of the records by the public. Weatherized windows and doors reduce energy use due to infiltration.

Buildings are updated to comply with Life Safety Code requirements. Modern security, audio/visual, and acoustic treatment systems are installed. Restoration projects have increased employment in the construction industry and strengthened skills of craftspeople in many specialty trades.

Counties receive post-restoration maintenance training. Q. Why are Texas courthouses historically and culturally significant?

A: For more than 150 years, the Texas courthouse has been a local symbol of strength, pride, progress and democracy. Courthouses were -- and continue to be -- centers of public and business life in communities throughout the state. Because so many Texas communities literally grew up around a county courthouse, the structures are tangible links to the past.

Marriages, trials, elections, parades, festivals, campaign rallies and community celebrations are just some of the events linked to historic county courthouses. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has identified approximately 220 courthouses built before 1948 that are still standing.

Many of these are superior examples of architectural trends and styles, including Gothic Revival, Art Deco, Neoclassical, Renaissance Revival, Romanesque Revival and Second Empire. Eighty-six Texas courthouses are listed in the National Register of Historic Places; 78 are designated as Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. Many more are eligible for historical designation.

Q. What is the history of Texas courthouses? A: Before Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836, Texans were under a centralized governmental structure based in Mexico City.

After the victory at San Jacinto, the new Republic of Texas formed counties to create a framework for a localized governmental system. Courthouses were among the first permanent structures built in the new counties, and they immediately became symbols of local pride and self-government.

No one knows the exact number of courthouses built in Texas since 1836, but the THC has identified more than 700 present and former courthouse sites, and other sites likely exist. The “golden age” of courthouse construction began in 1881, soon after the state Legislature authorized counties to issue bonds to build new courthouses.

Structures built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries were constructed as monuments of community justice and strength. Of the more than 220 historic courthouses, some 150 were built prior to 1920, and about 80 of those were built before the turn of the century. Q.

What is the condition of historic Texas courthouses? A: By including Texas' historic courthouses on its 1998 list of “America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places,” the National Trust for Historic Preservation determined the combined structures are “threatened by neglect, deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.

” Most of the state's historic courthouses are in various stages of disrepair, though 201 are still being used for county administration purposes. Existing problems include outdated electrical wiring, old and improper heating and air conditioning, lack of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, leaking roofs and other problems. Many of these buildings are vulnerable to fire, abandonment and even demolition.

A few historic courthouses, such as the old Reagan County Courthouse in Stiles and the old Frio County Courthouse in Frio City, have been abandoned. Q. How much money would be needed to repair and restore all of the state's historic courthouses properly?

A: THC architects who have made broad assessments of the structures estimate the cost could exceed $750 million. Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program FAQs: Q. What are master plans and when should they be used?

A: Master plans (master preservation plans) are based on the understanding that each historic property represents a unique and irreplaceable resource. They are a formal document for addressing changes to a resource during the planning process, for exploring alternative plans of action and for minimizing loss, damage or irreversible, adverse effects on historic fabric.

Master plans are prepared to assess and guide the effects of a proposed treatment or construction-related capital project on the existing fabric of a property. They are usually prepared immediately preceding a specific capital improvement project, and the resulting recommendations lead directly to construction documents and a capital improvement project. Q.

What information should be included in a master plan? A: Generally, master plans should include the following major sections: Historical and Architectural Development Evaluation of Existing Conditions Rehabilitation Recommendations For more information about How to Participate in the Courthouse Preservation Program and a more detailed description of Master Plan requirements go here . Q.

What is an archival records plan? A: An archival records plan addresses issues related to the protection, preservation and accessibility of ALL county records before, during and after the restoration work. The plan should be comprehensive in nature and follow the State Records Management Laws managed by the State Library and Archives.

Learn more about archival records plans . Courthouse Cornerstones 2007 Courthouse Cornerstones 2009 Courthouse Cornerstones 2011 Courthouse Cornerstones 2013 Courthouse Cornerstones 2015 Courthouse Cornerstones 2017 Courthouse Cornerstones 2019 Courthouse Cornerstones 2021 Courthouse Cornerstones 2023 Courthouse Cornerstones 2025 Other Publications (in alphabetical order) The Courthouse Square in Texas - 2000, Robert E.

Veselka & Kenneth E. Foote. The Courthouses of Texas - 1962, Clark Coursey.

The Courthouses of Texas: A Guide - 1993, 2007, Mavis P. Kelsey & Donald H. Dyal.

Courtin' Texas: One Candidate's Travels Through Texas 254 Counties & their Courthouses - 1995, John W. Odam. Gone From Texas; Our Lost Architectural Heritage – 1981, Willard B.

Robinson. Historic Texas Courthouses - 2006, Michael Andrews, Paul Hester & Lisa Hardaway. Old Friends: Great Texas Courthouses - 1999, Bill Morgan & Ernest J.

Hammond. The People's Architecture: Texas Courthouses, Jails, and Municipal Buildings - 1983, Willard B. Robinson.

The Texas Courthouse - 1971 / The Texas Courthouse Revisited - 1984, June Rayfield Welch & J. Larry Nance. Texas Justice: The Legacy of Historical Courthouses - 2004, Martana.

The Texas Judicial Cookbook - 2007, Dennis R. Mott. Buck Schiwetz' Texas - 1960, Edward M.

Schiwetz. The Golden Age of Texas Courthouses - 2004, Texas Foundation for the Arts in association with Sunset Productions. Texas Courthouse Websites Courthouse of Texas in 3D Texas County Courthouses - A set on Flickr Further information on Tower Clocks AWCI - American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute Is your courthouse in need of historic preservation?

Our nationally recognized and award-winning Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program has turned around the trend of disrepair and begun restoring these treasured historic landmarks. Find out how we can help.

Courthouse Preservation Program Resources How to Participate in the Courthouse Grant Program Restored Historic Courthouses If you have questions about the Courthouse Preservation Program, please contact the program administrator using the information listed here. courthouse_program@thc. texas.

gov