Polk County Courthouse and 1905 Courthouse Annex
Why it's listed
Two government buildings share the courthouse square in the center of Livingston, Texas. The larger is the 1924 Polk County Courthouse, a three-story tan brick building with a raised basement, flat roof, Tuscan columns and a roofline balustrade, designed by the Houston firm McLelland & Fink. Built after county officials called for modern plumbing, heating and more office space, it was the first county courthouse with electricity and indoor plumbing. In the square's southwest corner stands the 1905 Courthouse Annex, a two-story red brick building designed by Houston architect Lewis Sterling Green to relieve crowding in the 1884 courthouse. It housed the County Clerk and county records and is the county's oldest government building. Structural failures led to its vacancy in the 1970s, and exterior braces were added to stabilize it. Both buildings were listed for their roles in local government and for their classical architecture, and both retain a high degree of integrity despite later alterations.
Significance in brief: The courthouse and annex are argued to have played a pivotal role in county politics, meeting Criterion A at the local level in Politics/Government. The 1924 courthouse is a good example of an early 20th century Classical Revival courthouse in a rural Texas county, and the 1905 annex is significant for its refined classical design, meeting Criterion C in Architecture.
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 01000060, listed February 2, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Washington at Church St., Livingston |
|---|---|
| County | Polk County |
| Listed | February 2, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000060 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1905-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Lewis Sterling Green (1905); McLelland & Fink (1924) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The courthouse remains in use as a county courthouse. The annex was vacated after structural failures in the 1970s, braced in the 1980s and partly repaired in 1998 pending further restoration. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Coordinates | 30.71113, -94.93393 (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 01000060.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q86753014
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.