The Medallion, Volume 62, Number 1, Winter 2024 Page: 4
15 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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25 YEARS OF PRESERVATIC
THCUS COURTHOUSE PROGRAM CELEBRATES QUARTER-CENTURY ANNIVERBy Susan Tietz
Courthouse Preservation
Program Coordinator
Twenty-five years doesn't seem
like a long time ago. But certain
reminders offer perspective: Y2K
panic was settling in. Gas was
$1.22 a gallon. And Ask Jeeves
was a popular search engine.
On May 31, 1999, Texas
Gov. George W. Bush signed
legislation creating the Texas
Historic Courthouse Preservation
Program (THCPP), making
2024 the 25th anniversary of
one of the Texas Historical
Commission's (THC) most-
recognized programs.-~~ ~~ 5"f 11
36%~~~~ ~ ~ '.rr ,4
ANalso in the works for an
independently published book
of photographs dedicated
to the THCPP's restored
courthouses from the past
quarter century.
Since the first THCPP award
in 2000, the nationally
renowned, award-winning
program has attracted over
140 participating counties and
funded the full restoration of
77 historic courthouses. The
THCPP has also supported
the preservation of 25 others
through emergency grants
to address urgent needs and
planning grants to prepareThe THCPP's origins can be traced to New Year's Day
1993, when a tragic fire nearly destroyed the Hill County
Courthouse in Hillsboro. The incident inspired concern for
Texas' distinctive collection of county courthouses, which
have since been listed twice on the National Trust for Historic
Preservation's 11 Most Endangered Properties.
"There was a growing concern for these treasured historic
landmarks, and that eventually spawned the largest preservation
grant program in the country,
says Elizabeth Brummett,
director of the THC's Division of
Architecture, which oversees the
THCPP. "We're looking forward
to spending this 25th anniversary
year celebrating the courthouses
we've helped preserve and
making sure Texans continue to
save these invaluable resources."
The THC's Real Places
conference in April will help
commemorate with images
and stories of completed
restoration projects throughout
the conference. Plans are
4 THE MEDALLION WINTER 2024W~ll H
~=~Eii
r iii p ^.lm.construction documents for
future restorations. Matching full restoration grants restore
historic courthouses to their original grandeur while providing
safer, more secure, energy-efficient, functional, and accessible
buildings for their users, rendering them modern and efficient
facilities to conduct county business.
Over the past quarter century, the State of Texas has
appropriated more than $400 million to the THCPP.
Participating counties have added more than $300 million in4,4
U -
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Texas Historical Commission. The Medallion, Volume 62, Number 1, Winter 2024, periodical, 2024-01~; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1679293/m1/4/: accessed June 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Commission.