1892 Victoria County Courthouse

101 North Bridge Street

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Victoria was founded in 1824 by Martín De León. Subsequently, the town was arranged in an manner typical of Spanish and Mexican colonies, including designated public squares near the center of town. Victoria County built its first courthouse in 1849 on Courthouse Square.

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The Texas Legislature, anxious to promote growth and development in the Lone Star State, passed “An Act Authorizing the County Commissioners’ Courts of the several counties of this State to issue Bonds for the erection of a Court House and to levy a tax to pay the sums,” which was passed at the Regular Session of the Nineteenth Legislature in 1885.

 

The first step in the official process was taken by the Victoria County Commissioners’ Court in May 1891, with a notice requesting bids on architectural plans and specifications for a new court house to cost not less than $50,000 nor more than $65,000. On Tuesday, August 11, 1891, and the next day the proposal of Gordon & Laub Architects of San Antonio, Texas, was adopted.

 

The construction bid for $64,487, was declared the “most desirable bid” and the contractor was ordered to file a bond with the county clerk for $25,000. Bonds for $75,000 were issued February 12, 1892, to finance construction of the new building, and Judge Dupree was authorized to pay the contractors with bonds based on estimates of completion furnished by architects. The date when construction began is assumed to be February 15, 1892.

 

By November 1892 it had been determined that the original $75,000 in bonds would be insufficient to complete the project and $20,000 in additional bonds were approved by the Commissioners’ Court. The new building was officially declared the Victoria County Courthouse on January 1, 1893. This formidable task was accomplished in a mere ten and one-half months.

 

This structure is one full of local history.​ You can learn more about this home and the families that have lived here in Volume I of Historic Homes of Victoria, available here online through our SHOP or at the Victoria Preservation, Inc. office.