The Harris County 1910 Courthouse

The Courthouse Block

The first Harris County courthouse was a modest, two-story structure constructed in 1838. The 1910 version that we all know today is actually the fifth courthouse that has occupied 301 Fannin.

Every courthouse constructed between 1838 and 1910 has resided here, bordered by Congress, Fannin, Preston, and San Jacinto streets.

This block was aptly named “Courthouse Square” and has remained the seat of Harris County’s government since 1837. The fathers of Houston themselves, the Allen brothers, put this designation into place.

Upon donating the land to the city, the Allen brothers added a stipulation effectively returning the site to their heirs if it were ever used for anything other than a courthouse.

The City of Houston has kept their promise thus far.

A Full Circle Moment

Renovations began in 1930 with the removal of the cupola atop the dome. In 1950, a series of more intensive internal and external renovations followed in the name of “modernization.”

The most noticeable of these renovations was the removal of the staircase entryway.

Surprisingly, the 1910 Courthouse underwent renovations again in 2009. This time the intent was restoring the courthouse to its original 1910 look, basically reversing the 1950 renovation.