Denton County Courthouse Square Historic District

Downtown Denton's courthouse square is a district of 50 properties, 30 of them contributing, arranged around the 1896 Romanesque Revival county courthouse. W. C. Dodson designed the three-story building in cream limestone and gray sandstone, with red sandstone and pink granite accents, corner turrets and a domed central tower. The grounds hold a 1918 Confederate monument, the reburied grave of Colonel John Denton, and Works Progress Administration sidewalks from 1935-1936. Commercial buildings line all four sides. Most are brick one-part or two-part blocks built between 1882 and 1930, with a theater and a temple-front bank among them. Repeated fires destroyed many early buildings, and storefronts were modernized in the 1920s through the 1940s. The district was listed for its local importance in government, commerce and community development. The courthouse drew business to the square, and the growth of local colleges brought new customers for downtown shops.