Dallas County Courthouse (Texas)

The Dallas County Courthouse, built in 1892 of red sandstone with rusticated marble accents, is a historic governmental building located at 100 South Houston Street in Dallas, Texas. Four of five previous courthouse structures were destroyed by fire. Also known as the Old Red Courthouse, it became the Old Red Museum, a local history museum, in 2007. In 2021, it was announced that the Old Red Museum would be moving out and that the building would again be a hall of justice. The Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals moved into Old Red in 2024.^[3][4]

Location100 S. Houston St.,
Dallas, Texas

Coordinates32°46′45″N 96°48′25″W

Area2 acres (0.81 ha)

Built1891 (1891)

Quick facts Location, Coordinates ...

Dallas County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District – Contributing property
U.S. Historic district – Contributing property
Texas State Antiquities Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Dallas Landmark Historic District Contributing Property
Dallas County Courthouse Location within Texas Show map of Texas Dallas County Courthouse Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Interactive map showing the location for the former Dallas County Courthouse
Location	100 S. Houston St., Dallas, Texas
Coordinates	32°46′45″N 96°48′25″W
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1891 (1891)
Architect	Orlopp & Kusener
Architectural style	Romanesque
Website	Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture
Part of	Dealey Plaza Historic District (ID93001607[1]) Westend Historic District (ID78002918[1])
NRHP reference No.	76002019[1]
TSAL No.	8200000203
RTHL No.	6811
DLMKHD No.	H/2 (West End HD)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 12, 1976
Designated NHLDCP	April 19, 1993
Designated CP	November 14, 1978
Designated TSAL	January 1, 1981
Designated RTHL	1977
Designated DLMKHD	October 6, 1975[2]

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It was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture by architect Max A. Orlopp Jr. of the Little Rock, Arkansas based firm Orlopp & Kusener. Four of five previous courthouse structures were destroyed by fire, which is one reason why the building was constructed using masonry and cubic stone.^[5]

In 1904, the famed prohibition activist Carrie Nation gave a fiery lecture on temperance inside one of the courtrooms, attracting a crowd that overflowed into the hallways.^[6]

In 1910, the courthouse was the site of the lynching of Allen Brooks.^[7] President John F. Kennedy's motorcade passed the courthouse minutes before his assassination on November 22, 1963.

The building's signature clock tower was 123 feet tall and featured a two-ton bell. In 1919, it was removed because it was structurally unstable. The void where the tower was would remain for nearly a century until it was rebuilt as part of a major renovation project in 2007.^[8]

In 1935, Sarah T. Hughes was sworn in as the first female judge in Texas.^[6]

In 1966, the courthouse was replaced by a newer building nearby. On December 12, 1976, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005–2007 the building was renovated.^{[1][9][10] [11][12]}