Dallas County Courthouse (Texas)

The Dallas County Courthouse, built in 1892 of red sandstone with rusticated marble accents, is a historic governmental building located at 100 South Houston Street in Dallas, Texas. Four of five previous courthouse structures were destroyed by fire. Also known as the Old Red Courthouse, it became the Old Red Museum, a local history museum, in 2007. In 2021, it was announced that the Old Red Museum would be moving out and the building is being returned into a hall of justice. The Texas Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is moving into Old Red (2024).^[3][4]

Dallas County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District Contributing Property
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Texas State Antiquities Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Dallas Landmark Historic District Contributing Property
Dallas County Courthouse Show map of Texas Dallas County Courthouse Show map of the United States
Interactive map showing the location for the former Dallas County Courthouse
Location	100 S. Houston St., Dallas, Texas
Coordinates	32°46′45″N 96°48′25″W
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1891 (1891)
Architect	Orlopp & Kusener
Architectural style	Romanesque
Website	Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture
Part of	Dealey Plaza Historic District (#93001607[1]) Westend Historic District (ID78002918[1])
NRHP reference No.	76002019[1]
TSAL No.	8200000203
RTHL No.	6811
DLMKHD No.	H/2 (West End HD)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 12, 1976
Designated NHLDCP	April 19, 1993
Designated CP	November 14, 1978
Designated TSAL	January 1, 1981
Designated RTHL	1977
Designated DLMKHD	October 6, 1975[2]

It was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture by architect Max A. Orlopp, Jr. of the Little Rock, Arkansas based firm Orlopp & Kusener. Four of five previous courthouse structures were destroyed by fire, which is one reason why the building was constructed using masonry and cubic stone.^[5] In 1904, well-known prohibition activist Carrie Nation attracted a crowd that overflowed into the hallways for a lecture on temperance. Carrie Nation

In 1904, the famed prohibition activist Carrie Nation gave a fiery lecture inside one of the courthouse’s courtrooms. ^[6]

In 1910, the courthouse was the site of the lynching of Allen Brooks.^[7] President John F. Kennedy's motorcade passed the courthouse minutes before his assassination on November 22, 1963.

The building's signature clock tower stood at 123 feet tall and featured a two-ton bell. In 1919, it was removed because it was structurally unstable. The void where the clock tower was would remain for nearly a century until it was rebuilt as part of a major renovation project in 2007.^[8]

In 1935, Sarah T. Hughes was sworn in as the first female judge in Texas.^[6]

In 1966, the courthouse was replaced by a newer building nearby. On December 12, 1976, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005–2007 the building was renovated.^{[1][9][10] [11][12]}

Gallery

• 
  Museum interior
• 
  Early Years Gallery
• 
  Trading Center Gallery
• 
  Big "D" Gallery
• 
  World Crossroads Gallery
• 
  Children's Education Center
• 
  Dallas County Courthouse postcard, circa 1909

See also

• National Register of Historic Places portal
• Texas portal

• List of county courthouses in Texas
• List of Dallas Landmarks
• List of National Historic Landmarks in Texas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Dallas County