Donley County Courthouse

Duane's take

The way I tell it, this one comes straight from the official marker for the Donley County Courthouse. Now settle in, because this building has had quite a life. Somewhere up in Trinidad, Colorado, an architectural firm by the name of Bulger and Rapp sat down and drew up something special.

They designed a courthouse that was going to make a statement out on the Texas Panhandle. And Troutman Brothers Contractors, also out of Trinidad, Colorado, they picked up those plans and built the thing. When November of 1891 rolled around, the Donley County Courthouse opened its doors.

And what a building it was. Romanesque Revival in design, with prominent towers rising up against that Panhandle sky. Red brick set against quarried limestone, those two materials playing off each other in ways that made people stop and look.

Complex projecting elements all over the facade, the kind of architectural flourishes that say somebody cared deeply about what this building meant. But then came the 1930s. Work during that decade resulted in the removal of the entire third floor.

Not just a detail here or a detail there. The whole third floor, gone. And along with it, many of the architectural details that had made the place so striking in the first place.

A courthouse that had opened in its full glory was now, well, a shadow of what Bulger and Rapp had envisioned. Now here is where the story turns back around. Donley County decided that wasn't the end.

The county restored the courthouse to its original splendor, and on July 4, 2003, they rededicated it. Independence Day. You couldn't have picked a better occasion for a building to come back to itself.

Today, the Donley County Courthouse stands as the oldest functioning courthouse in the Texas Panhandle. Trinidad, Colorado gave it life. The 1930s took a piece of it.

And Donley County gave it back. That building is still doing its job, which is more than most of us can say.

What the marker says

Designed by the architectural firm of Bulger and Rapp, and built by Troutman Brothers Contractors, both of Trinidad, Colorado, this distinctive public building opened in November 1891. The original Romanesque Revival design included prominent towers, contrasting red brick and quarried limestone, and complex projecting elements. Work in the 1930s resulted in removal of the entire third floor, as well as many architectural details. The county restored the courthouse to its original splendor and rededicated it on July 4, 2003. Today, it is the oldest functioning courthouse in the Texas Panhandle. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2006