This is the Old Blanco County Courthouse in Blanco, Texas. It served as the Blanco County seat from 1886 until 1890; the seat was then moved to Johnson City. The building then served as a school, hospital (over 1,000 babies born here), professional offices, bakery, theatre, opera house and library. The courthouse scenes from the 2010 movie “True Grit” were filmed here.
The former Courthouse has experienced deterioration of the terne metal roof and decorative metal over the last 20 or so years. We performed a survey of existing conditions and developed a restoration plan. The original metal trim was painted white.
The bullseye windows had been removed, then replaced by dormers containing louvers, and now may be restored with the circular windows. Research was conducted to determine original dimensions and detailing.
Chimneys once extended above the roof plane but had been removed. We developed a chimney profile from a few historic photographs and original 1880’s drawings. It is an interesting project and we consider it a privilege to be involved in its’ preservation.