Bell County Courthouse
Bell County Courthouse (Texas) is located in Texas
Bell County Courthouse (Texas)
Location in Texas
Bell County Courthouse (Texas) is located in the United States
Bell County Courthouse (Texas)
Location in United States
Interactive map showing the location of Bell County Courthouse
LocationPublic Sq., Belton, Texas
Coordinates31°03′21″N 97°27′48″W / 31.05583°N 97.46333°W / 31.05583; -97.46333
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1884
Built byBen D. Lee
ArchitectJ.N. Preston & Sons
Architectural styleRenaissance
NRHP reference No.76002004[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 12, 1976

The Bell County Courthouse in Belton, Texas was built in 1884.[2]: 38  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[3]

It is the third courthouse to serve Bell County. The structure was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by Jasper N. Preston and Sons.[4]: 44  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976,[1] and partially restored in 1999.[2]: 39 

It is a three-story building occupying its own block, with each side having an entrance pavilion including a portico of cut-stone columns with carved bases and capitals, and with each corner also having a projecting pavilion.[3]

Courthouse in 2009, now again topped by a Goddess of Justice statue

It was built with a central 125 feet (38 m) tower topped by a statue of Goddess of Justice carrying sword and beam balance; the statue was later removed. The building also had detailing made of sheet metal by W.J. Burt and Company of Fort Worth which has also mostly been removed by 1976. That detailing, consisting of galvanized iron and spun zinc, included the roof covered by tin stamped to resemble slate, balustrades around each of the four porticos, and cornices and shell ornaments and window pediments.[3]

It is located on Public Square in Belton.[3] J.W. Preston & Son also designed the National Register-listed Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail Complex in Bastrop, Texas.[1]

Peter H. Bell statue on grounds in 2018

References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Hightower, Brantley (2015). The Courthouses of Central Texas. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-76294-7.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Willard B. Robinson; S. Elizabeth Sasser (July 31, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Bell County Courthouse". Retrieved May 16, 2021 – via National Archives. Includes three photos from 1970.
  4. ↑ Kelsey, Mavis P. Sr.; Dyal, Donald H. (2007). The Courthouses of Texas. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-58544-549-3.


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