{"nrhp_refnum":"02000728","name":"Jeff Davis County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Bounded by Court St., Front St., Woodward Ave., and State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fort Davis","county":"Jeff Davis County","state":"TX","lat":30.58850601900008,"lon":-103.89531034999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-07-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Classical Revival county courthouse built in 1911 on the courthouse square in downtown Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas, designed by Dallas architect L.L. Thurmon and built by Falls City Construction Company.","why_significant":"The courthouse is significant locally under Criterion A in government, as a symbol of the county's new prosperity and of Fort Davis regaining its role as county seat. Under Criterion C in architecture, it is an excellent example of an early 20th-century Classical Revival courthouse adapted for a smaller, less wealthy rural Texas county.","narrative":"Completed in 1911, the Jeff Davis County Courthouse sits at the center of a square in downtown Fort Davis, Texas. The three-story building combines concrete block with locally quarried pink volcanic stone. Two-story Doric porticoes mark the north and south fronts, and an octagonal domed cupola with clock faces crowns the roof. Dallas architect L.L. Thurmon designed it, and Falls City Construction Company of Kentucky built it under a 1910 contract. Thurmon designed several Texas courthouses in a similar style, and county records show the commissioners chose his Mason County plans as the model. The courthouse reflected the county's prosperity, based on agriculture and tourism, and the renewed standing of Fort Davis as county seat after the seat had moved to Marfa in 1885. It remains in use as a courthouse. Later changes include a 1930 roof alteration, 1956 courtroom remodeling, and a 1938 tree-planting project on the grounds.","period_of_significance":"1910-1952","architect_builder":"Architect = Thurman, L. L.; Builder = Falls City Construction Co.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as the county courthouse; described as in fair condition, needing numerous minor repairs, but retaining a high degree of integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.089314-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/74/9726/40972674/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/02000728.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000728/3b8a49852f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000728/3b8a49852f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Fortguy","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JeffDavisCountyCourthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Fortguy</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JeffDavisCountyCourthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972674","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Davis_County_Courthouse_(Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28126144"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/jeff-davis-county/jeff-davis-county-courthouse-02000728/"}