{"nrhp_refnum":"77001467","name":"Presidio County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Public Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Marfa","county":"Presidio County","state":"TX","lat":30.313242415000047,"lon":-104.02200293499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-12-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick and stone county courthouse on the Public Square in Marfa, Presidio County, Texas, built in 1886 and attributed to San Antonio architect Alfred Giles.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it has both architectural and governmental significance. It combines Second Empire and Italianate details and is called one of the finest nineteenth-century buildings in the Marfa area. It has also been the center of law and justice proceedings since its completion.","narrative":"Rising from a flat, treeless plain in Marfa, this brick and stone courthouse was completed in 1886 and still serves as the seat of Presidio County government. Alfred Giles, a San Antonio architect, won the contract from nineteen bidders, and the building was modeled after the El Paso County Courthouse. Its design blends Second Empire and Italianate elements: corner pavilions with Mansard roofs, dormers and iron cresting, stone quoins, triangular pediments over the entrances, and an octagonal central tower topped by a statue of the goddess of justice. Inside, corridors meet at a circular rotunda, with county offices on the ground floor, the district courtroom on the second floor and a grand jury room on the third. Pecan wood fittings survive, and the building keeps much of its original character. It was judged significant for its architecture and for its long role as the center of local law, order and justice. It is the only courthouse in Marfa's history.","period_of_significance":"1886","architect_builder":"Attributed to Alfred Giles","architectural_style":"Second Empire style incorporating Italianate details","criteria":[],"status_note":"Continues to serve its original function as the county courthouse; the interior has been refinished in recent years and a Junior Historian Museum occupies part of the second floor.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.479544-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/9732/40973230/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/77001467.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001467/cbb7de97c2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001467/cbb7de97c2-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Carol M. Highsmith","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Presidio_County_Courthouse_in_Marfa,_Texas_LCCN2014631200.tif\" rel=\"noopener\">Carol M. Highsmith</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Presidio_County_Courthouse_in_Marfa,_Texas_LCCN2014631200.tif"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100007597","name":"Central Marfa Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/central-marfa-historic-district-100007597/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973230","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidio_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7241528"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/presidio-county/presidio-county-courthouse-77001467/"}