Lipscomb County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Lipscomb County Courthouse stands at the center of the courthouse square in Lipscomb, Texas. Completed in late 1916, it was designed and built by William M. Rice in the Classical Revival style. The 2-story, buff-brick building rises from a raised basement and has entrance porticoes on its east and west faces, each with a pediment carried by four Doric columns of cast stone and stucco, evoking a Greek temple. Inside, a District Courtroom with a balcony occupies the center of the upper floors, and corridors have ceramic tile floors. Materials arrived by rail at Follett and were hauled to Lipscomb by wagon. A 1910 county jail built of cast stone blocks, with a steel cell cage made in St. Louis, sits on the same square and also contributes to the property. The courthouse remains in county government use. Remodels in 1972 replaced the original windows and doors and added modern heating and cooling. Its architectural character and its connection to a regional courthouse builder support its listing.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the courthouse as a small-county example of Classical Revival design, modeled as an idealized Greek temple with Doric porticoes. It also documents the work of builder William M. Rice, who designed or built several Texas courthouses in the same period. The 1910 jail is counted as a second contributing building.
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 08000730, listed July 9, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Courthouse Square, Lipscomb |
|---|---|
| County | Lipscomb County |
| Listed | July 9, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000730 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William M. Rice, architect and general contractor (1910 jail built by E.S. Altmiller) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and early 20th centuries - Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as the county courthouse; the 1910 jail and a circa 1935 garage are used for storage. Major interior remodels took place in 1972. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 36.23389, -100.27071 (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 08000730.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q56281194
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.