The First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals are eagerly awaiting a new home — the restored 1910 Harris County Courthouse. The building will be the crown jewel of the county courthouse: historically true to its original design while accommodating state-of-the-art technology.

Texas courthouses have historically been the center of the community. It was often the grandest building in town and was situated prominently in the center of the town square and surrounded by retail and business establishments. The courthouse was the county’s governmental seat; typically housing the county officials, sheriff, county clerk, tax assessor/collector, district court judge, justice of the peace, county commissioners’ court, and other county officials. It was also an emotional center of the community where important events of local life took place: marriages, trials, elections, markets, festivals, community celebrations, campaigns, and even public executions.

At one time, all 254 Texas counties boasted grand courthouses. Sadly, some were allowed to deteriorate and were replaced by utilitarian but uninteresting structures. Yet Texas has managed to preserve, in various conditions, more historic county courthouses than any other state.

Harris County has built five courthouses at 301 Fannin in 1838, 1851, 1860, 1884, and 1910. This last courthouse has been in continuous use from its dedication until remodeling began in 2006. It was designed by the architecture firm of Lang, Witchell & Barglebaugh in the Beaux-Arts style and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Properties.

In 1910, the County Clerk and Justice of the Peace officed on the first (ground) floor, where the Justice Courtroom was also located. This floor was considered a “daylight basement,” a partially subterranean floor with windows providing sunlight.

The public entrances to the 1910 Courthouse were located on the second floor. A grand staircase on the Fannin side of the building and a smaller staircase on the San Jacinto side led into the magnificent rotunda area, a circular core extending from the second floor to a skylight above the sixth floor. Ornate granite staircases curved in graceful arcs from the second floor to the fourth floor. This white granite with black veining, quarried in Georgia, was used throughout the building on columns, stairs, and wainscoting. The second floor housed the county clerk, the tax assessor/collector, the sheriff, the treasurer, the county auditor, the county surveyor, the county engineer, the superintendent of roads and bridges, and several vaults.

In its beauty and elegance, the third floor represented the pride of the county. The two major county courtrooms, the Criminal District Courtroom and the County Courtroom, were located there. Each was two stories tall with an overhanging balcony. Nearby were auxiliary rooms such as the judges’ chambers, the court clerk’s office, the district attorney’s office, an attorney consultation room, witness rooms, and separate waiting rooms for ladies and “gents.” Tall windows behind the judges’ benches flooded the rooms with natural light. The north and south courtrooms embodied the dignity and authority of justice and the rule of law.

The fourth floor encompassed the mezzanine balconies for the north and south third floor courtrooms. The grand jury room, the law library, and the office of the county attorney shared the floor with the three jury rooms and two jury dormitories. Above the courtrooms below, natural light from “light courts” on the fifth and sixth floors streamed through north and south art glass panels set in the floor. The use of sunlight as a natural lighting feature must have provided a beautiful and warm environment.

The fifth floor housed three small district courtrooms, associated judges’ chambers, jury rooms, witness rooms segregated by sex, a ladies’ waiting room, two vaults, and the offices of the Superintendent of Public Education. The sixth floor was not originally built out.

By the 1950’s the 1910 Courthouse had become inefficient and overcrowded. The number of district courts had grown from four to 14. New county courts at law required additional courtrooms. So the county decided to renovate the 1910 Courthouse. The gracious edifice was remodeled into a hodgepodge of 22 courtrooms and attendant offices. The atrium rotunda space was enclosed, and the majestic stairs on Fannin and San Jacinto were removed. The ground floor “daylight basement” doors became the new entrances. All the original elegance and beauty were destroyed in the name of functionality.

Fortunately, the Harris County Commissioners’ Court decided to restore the 1910 Courthouse in 2005 and it was decided that the Courthouse would house the First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals. Architects from PGAL, Dan Reisig of Harris County Facilities, Justice Jane Bland and Clerk of the Court Karinne McCollough representing the First Court, and Chief Justice Adele Hedges of the Fourteenth Court began meeting regularly to plan the new workspace. Former Fourteenth Court Justice Harvey Hudson and former Fourteenth Court Clerk of the Court Ed Wells provided valuable assistance before their respective departures from the court.

Harris County and PGAL, an architecture firm specializing in historic restoration, are working closely with the Texas Historic Commission, which funded some of the development stage of the project; the county expects to apply for additional grants. The THC has considerable control of the restoration project, having statutory authority to approve or disapprove plans that deviate from the original design. The tension between historical accuracy and modern functionality requires careful negotiation: concerns for security, requirements for information technology, and the necessity for adherence to building code must be balanced with the goal of reproducing the original building as authentically as possible.

Each floor will house public restrooms, and two elevators will service the entire building. The building is divided between the two courts; the north half is reserved for the First Court of Appeals and the south half for the Fourteenth Court of Appeals.

The first floor will house a large breakroom, conference rooms, storage rooms, supplies, computers, and mechanical equipment. The public will enter onto the second floor on the Fannin and San Jacinto sides by way of staircases built to duplicate the originals. The rotunda will be restored, providing a majestic central foyer. Rotunda staircases will connect the second, third, and fourth floors; access to the fifth and sixth floors will be provided by corner stairs.

The courts’ clerks’ offices will be reached through a north/south transverse corridor. These offices are designed for efficient interaction with the public, with wide intake counters, a media viewing room for review of electronic and hard copy records, and back offices with file rooms, mail rooms, imaging centers, and offices.

The showcase of the courthouse is the courtrooms on the third floor. The north courtroom, dedicated to the First Court of Appeals, is the larger of the two. As in the original design, it has permanent seating in both the third floor gallery and its fourth floor mezzanine balcony. The south courtroom, reserved for the Fourteenth Court of Appeals, though the smaller of the two, is equally grand. Faithful to the original plans, its fourth floor mezzanine balcony will not have permanent seating and will be available as a meeting room when court is not is session. A hidden staircase originating on the east side of the south courtroom provides access to the balcony. Benches for each courtroom will be custom built based on historical design to accommodate nine judges. Behind each bench, large windows extend two stories, almost to the ceiling. The third floor also houses four judges’ chambers and the courts’ robing rooms. Plans call for the restoration of the original county commissioner’s courtroom, which will graciously accommodate public receptions and may also serve as a courthouse museum.

The fourth floor houses the courtroom balconies, the attorneys’ waiting room, and four judges’ chambers. The fifth and sixth floors house judges’ chambers, conference rooms, intern workspaces, law libraries, and other space.

Great attention has been paid to historical detail. For example, the mosaic tile on each floor surrounding the rotunda will be restored according to its original design. The color palate of the mosaic tile of white, green, red, turquoise, and yellow will provide the foundation for paint, fabric, and other materials throughout the building. Behind the 1954 remodeled walls remain a number of magnificent plaster details: cornices, capitols, friezes, and crown molding, all painted in a warm, rich gold. The plaster details will be painstakingly restored and original wall colorings will be reproduced. Surprisingly, the south courtroom appears to have been painted turquoise. The interior black and white granite wainscoting has been removed and catalogued, awaiting reinstallation. Exterior terra cotta detail featuring female faces, eagles and lions will be restored or replaced according to original plans. The light brown Saint Louis brick on the exterior will be cleaned and restored, as will the Corinthian columns framing the four loggia bays.

What does this restoration mean to our community? It is an admirable conservation of a piece of Texas history almost lost. Second, and perhaps more important, it is an affirmation of our system of justice. This stately new home for the First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals will be a visible embodiment of our social compact — the rule of law.

The Hon. Adele Hedges is chief justice of the Fourteenth Court of Appeals and serves on the planning committee for the 1910 courthouse renovation.