National Register Listing

Denton County Courthouse Square Historic District

Area bounded by Pecan, Austin, Walnut, and Cedar Sts., Denton, TX

The city of Denton's role as the center of government for Denton County encouraged the early growth of commerce in an area based largely on an agricultural economy. The arrival of the railroad ensured the economic survival of the city as Denton became the transportation center for the agricultural economy of the outlying areas, and merchants and industries established businesses to serve the surrounding farm communities. As the city's own image began to emerge, the location of several institutions of higher education further enhanced the economic development of the courthouse square as businesses catering to a new segment of the population began to transform the downtown area. Transportation continued to be of great significance to the development of the downtown area as new roads and an interurban linked Denton to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The economy of Denton slowly evolved from one based on agriculture to that of a modern, suburban city. The appearance of the courthouse square underwent numerous transformations, fueled by frequent conflagrations as well as changes in fashion, although elements of many of the main periods are today represented in the downtown area.

Selected as the county seat in 1856, a 100-acre tract donated by Hiram Cisco, William Loving, and William Woodruff slowly evolved into the governmental center of the county. William Woodruff, Charles Christian Lacy, and Otis Welch platted the townsite with street names given after the names of trees in the county. The county auctioned lots in 1857 with most lots selling for $25 to $35. The original townsite consisted of 33 blocks, with a public square in the center, roughly bounded by McKinney Street on the north, Cedar Street on the west, Highland on the south and the current railroad tracks on the east. The surveyors utilized the Shelbyville square model for the new county seat, with narrow blocks facing the square on all four sides. The first courthouse, however, was sited on the north side of the square rather than the center of the square. The initial plat created smaller, one-quarter size blocks in each of the angles of the square. Located at the intersections of the square, these blocks became highly valuable for their exposure to traffic and were popular sites for hotels and banks All but the northeast block was fully developed by the early 1870s.

A community gradually emerged around the new county seat based on agriculture and stock raising. The city was incorporated in September of 1866, but by 1870 the population was only 361. Wooden buildings began springing up around the courthouse square to provide space for law offices, dry goods stores, saloons, liveries, and hotels. These types of businesses underscore the importance of Denton as the county seat, providing the necessary services to a rural population who traveled to the small town primarily for trading, the filing of deeds, and voting. A photograph from 1874 depicts simple frame buildings with gabled roofs hidden behind raised parapets. In these early years of development, it was not uncommon to find livery stables and residences located directly on the square. The east side of the square developed last and remained vacant until after 1870 when a new sandstone jail was constructed. The center of the courthouse square, however, remained empty and uncleared of the brush. The Civil War hindered any additional commercial development in Denton. Although there were very few slaves in Denton County, the fear of slave insurrections ignited by numerous fires throughout North Texas fueled a vote in favor of secession. A fire in July of 1860 was at first attributed to abolitionists but was later found to be accidental. This was but the first of numerous conflagrations which would plague the city throughout its developments.

The first courthouse (1857) in Denton, a two-story frame building located in the middle of the north block of the square, was destroyed in a fire in 1875 resulting in the loss of most of the county's records.' County commissioners constructed a new two-story, brick courthouse in the center of the public square at a cost of $40,000. Completed in 1876, the new Italianate courthouse with a central clock tower featured a district courtroom on the second floor. J.H. Britton, a master builder who later worked on such courthouses as the El Paso County Courthouse (designed by Alfred Giles), built the new courthouse. The brick construction proved a wise choice by the commissioners as fire consumed the entire south side of the square in January of 1877. Moreover, the construction of a new courthouse resulted in the establishment of the Bushey Brick Plant, thus making brick available for the construction of new buildings and residences elsewhere in the city. Two fires in 1877 consumed all of the south sides of the square and most of the buildings along the west side. The demand for brick necessitated additional brick plants and the Fastorff Brothers established one to meet the city's needs for more substantial building material.

By 1880, the population of Denton tripled to 1,194 as the anticipation of the impending arrival of the railroad spurred commercial development. The arrival of the railroad in 1881 quickly transformed the agricultural economy of the county from one of subsistence to cash crops. With adequate transportation now available, cotton and wheat became important cash crops for the area, encouraging such local industries as the Davenport Mill, established in 1878. As the farmers in the area flourished, so did the merchants who established numerous dry goods stores and groceries in Denton. By the end of the 1880s, the town boasted 2 dry goods stores, at least 3 groceries, 3 hardware stores, a furniture store, numerous saloons, a furniture store, and even an opera house. The tracks of the MK&T were located a few blocks to the east of the courthouse square. The downtown area began expanding towards the north during the 1880s with the establishment of a small cluster of buildings including the new jail, the First Christian Church, and the Lacy Blacksmith shop. A small row of houses, extending along McKinney Street four to five blocks, defined the northern edge of town. The area south of the downtown area along S. Elm (called Sand Street at that time) became the fashionable address for merchants and lawyers.

The north side of the square witnessed a re-building after a fire in 1881 destroyed the west end of the block. In the middle of the block, four two-story brick buildings were constructed containing law offices on the upper floors and various stores and the First National Bank on the ground floors. By the 1880s, all of the lots on the west side of the square were filled. Only two buildings on this block survive from this period due to later fires including the Scripture Building at the north end of the block and the shell of an older Opera House. Although damaged by fire in the 1890s (1893 and 1895), the Fine Arts Theater contains the remnants of an earlier building still visible from the alley. The re-building of the south side of the square occurred after a fire consumed most of it in 1881, although none of these buildings survive today. The Piner Building at the east end of the block survived this fire but was demolished in the 1970s, and the Evers Building was rebuilt in 1913 following yet another fire. The McCrary Building, occupied by Greenlee Dry Goods store, was one of the first brick buildings constructed on the square. The east side of the square was also entirely destroyed by a series of fires in the 1880s except for the Paschall Building, constructed in 1882 at the northern end of the block.

These early buildings were two-part commercial block buildings and many utilized cast-iron architectural features in the cornices and columns. Many building owners added cast-iron details, such as cornices, to update and modernize their simple, brick buildings. The arrival of the railroad made possible the importation of these manufactured building components from urban centers such as St. Louis and Chicago. Thought to be fire-proof, iron appealed to the merchants of Denton who had witnessed at least seven major fires between 1860 and 1882. In 1881 alone, the western portion of the north block and the middle half of the south block burned, representing almost one-quarter of all of the buildings in the downtown area.

The construction of a new courthouse in 1895 stimulated additional building on the courthouse square. Designed by W.C. Dodson, this monumental courthouse with its central clock tower and corner pavilions with mansard roofs, dominated the architecture of the town. James Riely Gordon of San Antonio was originally selected to design the new courthouse, but was replaced by W.C. Dodson." Despite the termination of Gordon, the Denton County Commissioners Court still insisted on the use of the Romanesque Revival style expressed in the heavy rustication, rounded arches, and turrets of the new courthouse. But Dodson also utilized elements of the 2nd Empire style with the mansard roofs of the corner pavilions. The plan for the new courthouse deviated from the traditional plan which placed the district courtroom in the center of the second floor. In the new courthouse, which utilized the cross-axial planning ideas of James Riely Gordon, the district courtroom was placed to the side to allow for the necessary support for the large centralized masonry tower. The new courthouse exceeded the budget, finally costing the county $147,000.

The new courthouse became the center of a prosperous community, hosting a variety of public events such as market days and local commemorative celebrations. As the seat of district and county courts, it provided the setting in which people resolved their differences and filed their most precious documents, including titles to their land, probate documents and marriage certificates. It also served as the focus of the county's political arena and the theater of the commissioners' court provided a measure of entertainment for citizens as well as direct participation in the issues of the day. As the polling place, the courthouse hosted many political events through the years, including watershed moments such as the vote for secession and the 1919 election on the prohibition amendment. It also became the center for such ceremonial events as marches, meetings of Confederate Veterans, and the re-internment of Colonel John B. Denton's remains on November 28, 1901. For the surrounding buildings, the courthouse served as the impetus for the economic growth of the courthouse square. It not only increased the economic value of the surrounding property, it served as a magnet to attract consumers to the increasing number of businesses located around the square.

The population of Denton increased from 2,558 in 1890 to 4,187 by 1900. By the late 1890s, the buildings around the square continued to be primarily two-part commercial blocks constructed of brick. As several buildings on the west side burned in a fire in 1895, the continuing threat of fire resulted in the installation of cisterns behind each of the blocks to provide water for fire fighting and by 1892 a city waterworks was in place. The commercial development of the downtown area began to spill out along the streets leading to the square. By the turn of the century, grocery, dry goods, drug stores, and attorney offices dominated the courthouse square with blacksmith shops, wagon yards and livery stables located on the perimeter. The construction of churches just a few blocks off the square during late 1890, indicated the importance of the square as the center of activities in Denton.

The 1890s witnessed the beginnings of a change in the economic character of the town with the establishment of a private college, the North Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute. The first classes were held on the courthouse square on the second floor of a hardware store located on the northwest corner block of the square. In an effort to ensure the future economic prosperity of the town, local businessmen sought to establish Denton as an educational center in North Texas. By 1901, the town secured a site for a new state normal school. The establishment of North Texas Normal College was quickly followed by the selection of Denton as the site for the Girls Industrial Institute and College of Texas in 1902 to the north of the courthouse square. The downtown area flourished with new businesses aimed at the new consumers made easily accessible to the students through the establishment of an electric streetcar line to North Texas in 1907 and extended to Texas Woman's University in 1911. The population continued to increase to 4,732 in 1910.

The downtown streetscape of the 1900s exhibited an unbroken front of brick buildings with some form of sidewalk in front. More importantly, there were no major fires in the downtown area for the first decade since the town's establishment. The decade witnessed a profound change, however, which began to be subtly reflected in the appearance of the square. The decade began with a courthouse surrounded by dirt roads, board sidewalks, and a hitching post around the courthouse for farmers to tie their teams for "Horse Monday," the monthly trading day centered on the courthouse square. By the end of the decade, a streetscape featured brick or cement sidewalks and gravel-lined streets, with a new trade yard east of the square on Hickory Street. The automobile had arrived in Denton. The first is reported to have arrived in 1903 and by 1910 the county registered 60 cars. This number increased exponentially with each passing year.

The impact of a twentieth-century emphasis on modernity transformed the appearance of the courthouse square in the ensuing decades. In 1913, Evers Hardware replaced its older building along the south side of the square with a new building influenced by modern trends developed in Chicago. While it retains the traditional two-part commercial block form on a narrow lot developed in the 19th century, the incorporation of a large expanse of windows on the second floor signals a change in the character of the square. Denton also witnessed the erection of its first steel frame building in 1915 with the construction of the McClurkan Building on the southwest block. Utilizing classical elements in its cast stone pilasters and a robustly detailed cornice, the McClurkan Building nonetheless displays a new sense of modernity in that it is one of the first buildings to break away from the 19th-century character of earlier buildings. Whereas the trend had been to reuse existing buildings for new functions, the construction of an entirely new, free-standing building offered a new opportunity to its builder.

Entertainment facilities, such as theaters and soda fountains, proliferated in the downtown area. Theaters in particular became a particularly important element of the courthouse square. In 1899, William C. Wright constructed the Wright Opera House on the northeast corner of the square, a prominent position, utilizing bricks from the 1875 courthouse which he had purchased and stored. People no longer came to town just to trade, but increased economic prosperity offered new opportunities for entertainment and a new student population would continue to impact the character of downtown businesses. In 1908 the first open-air Airdrome was located along Hickory Street (outside of the district). By 1909, the Amazu Theater at 109 W. Oak was established in a pre-existing building. The Wright Opera House succumbed to the competition of a new entertainment form in the early 1910s, the advent of moving pictures. The Amazu Theater changed its name to the Majestic Theater and by 1913, it moved to 120 W. Oak and was known as the Princess Theater (Lowry). The west side of the square became known as "theater row" with the Dreamland Theater (119 N. Elm; later remodeled into the Fine Arts Theater) and the Palace Theater (109 N. Elm - demolished). The old Paschall Building also once housed a movie theater, the Plaza Theater, later known as the Student Arts Theater. With the opening of the Campus Theater (just off the square) in 1949, seven theaters were operating in the downtown area.

By 1920, the population of Denton almost doubled to 7,626 making it the 38th largest city in Texas. Although agricultural production, particularly cotton, peaked during the 1920s, the city no longer depended merely on its location as the county seat with a cash crop economy. Denton evolved into a thriving city with an economy based on its institutions of higher education and blossoming subdivisions serving the larger cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. The appearance of the courthouse square changed as a result of the enormous impact of the automobile with the number of cars registered exploding from 2,700 in 1920 to more than 5,400 only five years later. It became necessary to provide marked parking places around the square and install stop signs at each corner to regulate the choking traffic. By the late 1920s, the streets surrounding the courthouse were finally paved.

Chain stores flourished in the downtown area, replacing stores formerly operated by independent entrepreneurs. The new variety of stores flourished as large retailers such as F. W. Woolworth (1924), J.C. Penny (1926) and Perry Brothers (1927) moved into buildings on the square. These new retailers modernized storefronts of older buildings, pushing the previously recessed facades out towards the street and attracting the attention of customers driving by in their automobiles through the use of large expanses of display windows. Grocery stores began to move away from the square as the large chains, such as Piggly Wiggly (1922), A&P (1924) and the Helpy-Selfy (1929) moved a few blocks off the square away from the congestion of the traffic and into larger buildings that provided customers room to select their own groceries.

The advent of the Depression arrested the development of new businesses in the downtown area, but as early as 1935 the city appeared to be recovering. Nonetheless, the early 1930s was a period in which the infrastructure of the city improved through projects funded by the Works Progress Administration including the installation of new water and sewer lines, flood control projects of the creeks, and the construction of sidewalks around the courthouse. Of particular importance was the completion of several highway projects including the linkage of Denton with Sherman along Highway 10 and with Decatur along Highway 24. While building permits declined in 1930, they began to rise in 1935 and continued to increase until the beginning of World War II in 1941. The older buildings around the square continued to be rejuvenated by new businesses. The old Wright Opera House received a total make-over in 1935 as the brick building received a smooth coat of plaster to cover the elaborate brickwork of an earlier age and the storefront on the ground level was transformed into a fashionable boutique, the Boston Store. Many of the ornate metal cornices from the era of the railroad were discarded from buildings, giving them a modern, simpler design. The Paschall Building was remodeled considerably in 1937. On the eve of World War II in 1939, Denton could boast 18 manufacturing industries within the town and the downtown commercial area once again was a thriving and bustling area.

World War II halted development temporarily as building materials were in short supply. But the development of a wartime industry in the defense plants of Dallas and Fort Worth continued to stimulate even the Denton economy. Following the war, enrollment at the universities ballooned with returning veterans seeking an education under the provisions of the GI Bill. Building permits jumped from $447,000 in 1941 to $883,000 in 1945, and the post-World War II development and modernization that had begun in the 1930s continued at a fast pace. In 1946, the city began a re-appraisal of all property in the city, resulting in an enormous jump in property values, particularly in the downtown area. These tax records reveal that many of the older buildings continued to receive alterations to their storefronts, particularly in the last years of the decade.

The 1950s, however, signaled a radical change for the downtown area. Despite the numerous attempts to modernize the older buildings in the area, the advent of a new retail form - the shopping mall - pulled businesses away from the center of town towards the newly developing suburbs. The construction of Interstate 35, begun in the 1950s and completed in 1963, dealt a final blow to the vitality of the courthouse square. Businesses tried to compete by slip-casing their older buildings behind a new aluminum and concrete facades. It was not until the late 1980s that a resurgence of interest in downtown re-vitalized the area with the support of a Main Street program and an active preservation program within the city. Since that time, numerous buildings have been restored to their former condition, including the Denton County Courthouse in 1987, which has once again created a vital and bustling atmosphere to the Courthouse Square.

Local significance of the district:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2000.