Val Verde County Courthouse And Jail
Why it's listed
Del Rio's county courthouse and its older jail sit on the public square along Pecan Street. The courthouse dates to 1887 and was designed by Larmour and Watson of Austin, with Hood and McLeod contracted to build it for $32,500. Its tan limestone walls are pitch-faced ashlar with cut stone arches, pilasters and pediments. Statues, mansard roofs and corner tower roofs once decorated it, but many were removed, and a third floor was added in 1915 within the original walls. The two-story limestone jail dates to about 1885 and received a three-story addition in 1914. The county seat moved to Del Rio in 1885 after the railroad arrived in 1881, and this is the only courthouse the town has had. The buildings have served county government for about ninety years and still hold offices and courtrooms. A 1956 jail on the square is not counted as historic. The buildings rank among the best surviving nineteenth-century architecture in the area.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites architectural and historical significance. The courthouse keeps much of its original workmanship despite remodeling, and it is the only courthouse the county seat has had. It and the old jail have been the center of county government for about ninety years, and they are among the best surviving nineteenth-century buildings in the region.
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 77001478, listed August 18, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 400 Pecan St., Del Rio |
|---|---|
| County | Val Verde County |
| Listed | August 18, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001478 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Larmour and Watson (courthouse architects); Hood and McLeod (courthouse builders); jail architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Classical details with Second Empire elements (Mansardic roofs, since removed or altered) |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The courthouse still houses county and district courtrooms and offices. The old jail was remodeled into offices for the tax assessor, tax collector, and justice of the peace. The property is marked occupied and government-owned. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 29.35916, -100.89709 (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 77001478.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107322718
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.