Bexar County Courthouse

Designed by noted architect James Riely Gordon and completed in 1896, the Bexar County Courthouse is an outstanding example of Romanesque Revival architecture. As the largest and oldest continuously operating historic courthouse in Texas, it was designated a Texas Historic Landmark in 1976, 80 years after its completion.

A major, multi-year restoration completed in 2015 returned the courthouse to its historic splendor. The project reunited spaces that had been divided by 20th-century alterations, transforming two separate courtrooms, adjacent offices, and an intermediate floor into the original grand, two-story Commissioners Courtroom, complete with coffered ceilings, ornamental plaster pilasters, and gilded capitals.

EverGreene joined the project team during preconstruction planning, helping develop restoration strategies for the historic courtroom interiors. Conservators conducted historic finishes investigations, documenting decorative paint schemes and crown moldings. Their findings informed the selection of a historically appropriate color palette and guided the restoration of the original decorative program.

To replace missing architectural ornamentation, EverGreene’s designers developed new plaster capitals inspired by the original decorative scheme and characteristic 19th-century classical detailing. Fabricated in EverGreene’s New York studio, the capitals were installed on site to complete the restored pilasters.

EverGreene’s craftsmen also installed BASWAphon acoustic plaster within the coffered ceiling and traditional three-coat plaster on the walls, while decorative artists recreated historically sympathetic finishes throughout the space.

Together, these efforts restored the architectural unity, intricate detailing, and grandeur of the original 1896 courtroom, ensuring this Texas landmark continues to serve future generations.