{"nrhp_refnum":"01000105","name":"Bee County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"105 W. Corpus Christi St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Beeville","county":"Bee County","state":"TX","lat":28.401380694000068,"lon":-97.74836460299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-02-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Beaux Arts county courthouse built in 1912 at 105 West Corpus Christi Street in downtown Beeville, Bee County, Texas, designed by William C. Stephenson and Fritz Heldenfels.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the most significant example of Beaux Arts architecture in Bee County, with a grand portico and a dome topped by a Statue of Justice. It also reflects the county's prosperity and has served as the center of county government for decades. Criterion A (Politics/Government) and Criterion C (Architecture) apply, at the local level.","narrative":"Bee County Courthouse, built in 1912 in downtown Beeville, is a three-story Beaux Arts building of tan-gray brick with a red clay tile roof. A three-story portico with four Corinthian columns marks the north front, and a central beehive dome with working clockworks carries a 14-foot Goddess of Justice sculpted by architect William C. Stephenson. He designed the building with partner Fritz Heldenfels, modeling it on the Hays County Courthouse. It was the county's fourth courthouse, replacing one lost to fire in 1911, and cost $72,050 to build under contractor W.C. Whitney. A WPA addition followed in 1941, and a 1949 renovation enclosed the rotunda and courtroom balcony for offices. The building remains the seat of county government. It was recognized for its role in local politics and government and as the county's finest example of Beaux Arts design, reflecting the prosperity of a growing farming and ranching community.","period_of_significance":"1912-1949","architect_builder":"William C. Stephenson and Fritz Heldenfels, architects; W.C. Whitney, builder","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Beaux Arts","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as the Bee County courthouse and center of county government; altered by a 1941 addition, a 1949 renovation and mid-1980s interior partitioning, but retains much of its integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.453059-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/46/9710/40971046/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/01000105.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000105/dde2d80c84-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000105/dde2d80c84-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bee_courthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bee_courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971046","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q54871487"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bee-county/bee-county-courthouse-01000105/"}