lostbldgs
Smith County Courthouse 1930 photo
SMITH COUNTY COURTHOUSE - Tyler, TX,
1909-1955, C.H. Page Jr. & Brother
Tyler, Texas has had seven courthouses and each of these county seats has been authentic architectural expressions of their generations. The most grandiose and well built of them was the four-story sixth Smith County Courthouse which incorporated the eclectic styles of Beaux Arts and Neo-Classicism. Specially selected Elgin brick was used in construction which heightened the textural effect of the façade and was used to form pilasters along the sides of the building. There were projecting facades on all four sides crowned by highly decorated pediments and sustained by colossal Greed decorated columns. The roof, covered with red terra cotta tile, was surrounded with a pronounced cornice providing a unifying classical element to the entire structure. The center of the roof was crowned with a polygonal dome, which all four sides held a clock six feet in diameter. Atop the dome stood the Goddess of Justice, an eleven-foot copper figure, which is now stored in the Smith County Historical Museum. The whole square surrounding the courthouse was a very intricately landscaped garden accented with decorative lamps, benches and birdbaths.
Smith County Courthouse 1930 photo
SMITH COUNTY COURTHOUSE - Tyler, TX,
1909-1955, C.H. Page Jr. & Brother
Tyler, Texas has had seven courthouses and each of these county seats has been authentic architectural expressions of their generations. The most grandiose and well built of them was the four-story sixth Smith County Courthouse which incorporated the eclectic styles of Beaux Arts and Neo-Classicism. Specially selected Elgin brick was used in construction which heightened the textural effect of the façade and was used to form pilasters along the sides of the building. There were projecting facades on all four sides crowned by highly decorated pediments and sustained by colossal Greed decorated columns. The roof, covered with red terra cotta tile, was surrounded with a pronounced cornice providing a unifying classical element to the entire structure. The center of the roof was crowned with a polygonal dome, which all four sides held a clock six feet in diameter. Atop the dome stood the Goddess of Justice, an eleven-foot copper figure, which is now stored in the Smith County Historical Museum. The whole square surrounding the courthouse was a very intricately landscaped garden accented with decorative lamps, benches and birdbaths.