{"nrhp_refnum":"80004084","name":"Cameron County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1150 E. Madison St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brownsville","county":"Cameron County","state":"TX","lat":25.904040714000075,"lon":-97.49549116999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick and terra cotta county courthouse at 1150 East Madison Street in Brownsville, Texas, built in 1912 and designed by Atlee B. Ayres. It is Cameron County's second courthouse.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a fine example of an early 20th century Classical Revival public building, noted for academic architectural detailing and a striking interior. Its lavish terra cotta and plaster ornament recalls the work of Louis Sullivan and the Chicago School. Its main distinction is its design by Atlee B. Ayres, one of Texas' most eminent architects.","narrative":"Completed in 1912, the Cameron County Courthouse in Brownsville is the county's second courthouse. The rectangular building, about 170 by 100 feet, rises three stories above an elevated basement. Its reinforced concrete and steel frame is faced in brown brick with terra cotta trim, and each of the four facades has a colonnaded porch with Corinthian capitals and a shield inscribed 1912. Inside, corridors with coffered barrel vaults lead to an octagonal rotunda topped by an art glass dome, with plaster decoration in the manner of Louis Sullivan. Atlee B. Ayres of San Antonio designed the building. Born in Ohio in 1873, he trained in New York, practiced in Texas, helped secure state licensing of architects, and served as State Architect. The courthouse was recognized for its academic detailing, its interior, and its connection to Ayres, and it remains in government use.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date 1912)","architect_builder":"Atlee B. Ayres","architectural_style":"Late Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Public building, occupied and in fair condition; some windows have been removed and plastered over, and many offices have modern finishes.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.495506-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/9714/40971464/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/80004084.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004084/3db5e2b4ec-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004084/3db5e2b4ec-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jaedza at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dancycourthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jaedza at English Wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://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:Dancycourthouse.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100004008","name":"Central Brownsville Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/central-brownsville-historic-district-100004008/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971464","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_County_Courthouse_(1914)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5026216"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/cameron-county/cameron-county-courthouse-80004084/"}