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Denton County
Courthouse
©2007 Bill Morgan. All
rights reserved
DENTON COUNTY - I've had face-to-face
conversations or phone calls or letters with more than 120 people who have been
to all 254 Texas counties to see their courthouses up close and personal, snap
photos and construct their own photo album of the state's halls of justice.
And we've got a secret.
We rate courthouses not only on their
appearance, but also on whether you can get a good look at the entire building.
The culprit we're talking here is landscaping--the trees, hedges and otherwise
attractive flora that grow up to hide some of the old courthouses' most
interesting features.
At the bottom of the eye chart are the
courthouses in Waco, Beaumont, Columbus, Gonzales, Trinity, Llano and a handful
of other towns. All are blessed with beautiful buildings and beautiful grounds,
but when one gets in the way of the other it's a little frustrating. Like the
old Bob Newhart comedy bit goes, "On a football team a good quarterback and a
good end go hand in hand, but not on campus."
In my mind, Waco and
Columbus head this list. Lush, tall pecan trees obscure most of the two
outstanding classical buildings; on the other hand, if you like big, stately
trees, these are the grounds to walk. And if you think Beaumont's relatively
young (completed in 1931) art deco skyscraper is too tall to be bothered, think
again; some of its most ornate features are hidden by shrubbery and small trees
covering the exterior of the first floor.
So what does all this have
to do with Denton's towering Second Empire landmark? It's on the good guys'
list. The grounds are stately, the courthouse is positively unforgettable and
while you might have to zig and zag a bit to see all there is to see of the
building, it can be done without giving you a pain in the neck.
I've
always thought that Denton County did as good a job of wedding its courthouse
and courthouse grounds as any in the state. And I'm sure no one would accuse my
120 pals with their cameras and me with my sketchpad of being a little bit
biased.
Buy A Print
11x17 prints
on sturdy stock of the Denton County Courthouse are available on my ordering
page. The cost is $20 for the first print and $16 for additional prints of
this, or any of the other 11 courthouses, purchased at the same time. (Add $3
for shipping) |
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