Dimmit County Courthouse is landmark in Carrizo Springs, Texas

Dimmit County Courthouse

Even before it was built in the early 1880s, the Dimmit County Courthouse in Carrizo Springs, Texas, generated controversy.

The initial architect designed a building that was deemed too expensive to build. So the new county, organized in 1880, hired a second architect. His drawings were suspiciously like the first plans, but without certain features such as a tower, that lowered the cost to build. The first architect sued the county and settled out of court for $400.

The Italianate style building was finally constructed in 1884.

The county government grew and 41 years later, it needed more room. Instead of demolishing the old courthouse, it was enlarged, with sides being extended and entrances moved. Ionic columns and a recessed porch were added to the north side. The remodeled building was in the Classical Revival style.

Problems developed as the building aged over the decades. In 2002, the county won a $2.4 million grant to restore the courthouse to the condition it was in when remodeling was completed in 1927.