Medina County Courthouse

Built in 1892 in Italianate/ WPA architectual style and contractor Martin, Byrne & Johnston.

In 1892, after a heated debate, the county seat was moved from Castroville to Hondo, a town that was located closer to the center of the county. The temporary courthouse in Hondo was believed to have been housed in a building facing the north side of Highway 90 and the east side of Avenue M (History, p. 11). On December 12th, 1892, the Commissioner's Court voted to approve the bid of Martin, Byrnes and Johnston of $40,300 for the design and construction of a new courthouse. The stone for the building was quarried from Joseph Decker's ranch, approximately seven miles northeast of Hondo. The laying of the cornerstone took place on March 16, 1893, and the building was finished seven months later on October 7, 1893 (History, p. 11). The three-story Italianate-style building follows a traditional floor plan with the first floor divided into four quadrants by bisecting corridors. The second and third floors are each divided by a central corridor, with the courtroom disrupting the corridor on the second floor. Access to the upper floors is provided by two sets of staircases, one on each side of the building. The exterior featured central entrances on all four sides. The entrances were defined by porticos supported by six classical columns topped by a balcony with a stone balustrade. A large window spanning the height of the second and third floor provided access to the balcony. Smooth cut pilasters on either side of the central window and a pedimented roof topped with an antefix further enhanced the entrances. Other decorative building treatments included an ornate metal cornice and carved smooth-cut lintels. Originally the building was surmounted by a modified hipped roof with an ornate Gothic central tower featuring an artificial clock and topped with a weather vane. Four symmetrical pyramidal roofs surmounted by ornate finials flanked the tower. In 1940, as part of a Works Projects Administration project, major interior and exterior alterations were made. The architect employed to supervise the construction was Joe Palle of Hondo. Two wings, or annexes, featuring stone taken from the same quarry as the stone used for the original courthouse, were added to the east and west facades. During this renovation, all of the porticos were removed along with the four chimneys and decorative roof treatment. Indoor plumbing was also installed, and office space was altered. The building's greatest and most unfortunate alteration was the removal of the tower and the construction of its replacementÑa large pyramidal projection. In the late 1980s, the courthouse underwent another major renovation. At this time, the county installed an elevator, fire escape and handicapped restrooms and reconfigured several spaces. The most radical and unsympathetic of the alterations was the reconfiguration of the district courtroom. Drastic, unsympathetic changes have left the courtroom's original layout unrecognizable. Very few, if any, of the original courtroom furnishings and decorative treatment remain, leaving the courtroom without any of the historical integrity it once had.

Original ornate clock tower removed and wing additions added by WPA (1938-1940) - Architect Joseph Palle.

Current status: Active Courthouse