Gonzales Commercial Historic District

Gonzales Commercial Historic District covers roughly 15 blocks of the Texas county seat, built around public squares laid out in 1825 and platted in 1832 as a giant cross. Commercial rows of one- to three-story masonry buildings surround the squares, most of them one- and two-part commercial blocks with decorated cornices, stepped parapets, three-bay storefronts and suspended canopies. The central squares hold the county courthouse, the jail, three Gothic Revival churches and monuments to Confederate soldiers and to the men who died at the Alamo. A 1909 post office with Prairie School and Classical Revival influences stands just outside the squares. Of 155 properties, 96 contribute to the district, with buildings dating from about 1880 to about 1940. Some storefronts have been altered, and a few churches have modern additions, yet massing, materials and density remain largely intact. The district was listed as the largest and most significant collection of historic commercial and institutional buildings in the county, reflecting the town's growth as a regional trade center.