Gonzales County Jail
Why it's listed
Built in 1887 on the courthouse square in Gonzales, Texas, the Gonzales County Jail is a three-story, flat-roofed building of tan brick laid out in a cruciform plan. Architect Eugene T. Heiner and contractor Henry Kane were hired by the County Commissioners' Court in 1885, and Kane made the bricks at his kiln on the Guadalupe River. The building cost $21,660.20 and replaced a first jail removed after forty years of debate. Brick relief forms the arched window openings, hoodmolds, quoins, belt course and dentiled cornice, easing the plainness of the walls. Inside, steel cell blocks separated prisoners by sex and severity of crime, and a two-story space once held a gallows, removed in 1951. An underground passage linked the jail to the courthouse. The square sits at the center of the town plan laid out in the shape of a Maltese Cross. The jail was nominated for its well-composed eclectic design and its long service as the county lock-up.
Significance in brief: The jail is noted for its formal nineteenth-century composition, with brick relief used for arches, stringcourses and a decorative cornice, and for its cruciform plan. It replaced an earlier jail after decades of debate and sits on the hub square of the town's Maltese Cross layout. Its original features included a gallows, an underground passage to the courthouse and a women's floor.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 75001985, listed May 21, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Courthouse Sq. on St. Lawrence St., Gonzales |
|---|---|
| County | Gonzales County |
| Listed | May 21, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001985 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1887 |
| Architect / builder | Henry Kane/Eugene T. Heiner |
| Architectural style | Eclectic |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a lock-up for temporary detention when nominated, with a new county jail under construction immediately to the south; the form lists it as occupied, in good use as a jail. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Within district | Gonzales Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 29.50133, -97.45201 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 75001985.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107318573
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.