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2007 Collin
County Courthouse front entrance
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December 2020 |
The Present
Collin County Courthouse -
McKinney, Texas
Off US 75/SH 121
on Bloomdale Road
Date - 2007
Architect - Pierce, Goodwin, Alexander & Linville
Style - Modern
Materials - Red & buff colored brick, glass & concrete
Note:
The north side addition to the 2007 courthouse was completed in 2011.
In November of 2017, the 2007 courthouse was officially renamed the
Russell A. Steindam Courts Building for Plano Vietnam War hero and
Medal of Honor winner Russell Albert Steindam. |
The 2007 Collin
County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, December 2020 |
Historical Marker:
on Courthouse grounds, 100 Blk of N. Tennessee Ave, between Virginia
and Louisiana Sts., McKinney
Old Collin
County Courthouse
Collin
County was created from Fannin
County in 1846. It was named for pioneer area settler Collin McKinney
(1766-1861), a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
The first county seat was established at Buckner
(2 mi. NW). In 1848 William and Margaret Davis conveyed 120 acres
of land at this site for a more central seat of government, which
became the community of McKinney.
The first two courthouse in the new town were built of wood. In 1874
county commissioners approved plans for a more substantial courthouse
on this site. Sherman
architect Charles Wheelock designed the building and O.J. King served
as general contractor. Constructed of stone from a local quarry (3.5
mi.ne), it was completed in 1876. A grand ball was held in the courthouse
to celebrate the event. By the 1920s the courthouse was inadequate
to meet the needs of a growing county. Extensive changes, including
the addition of a basement and a third floor, were made in 1926-27
under the direction of architect W.A. Peters of Paris, Texas. The
site of many political speeches and events, the building was used
as a courthouse until 1979. It now serves as a historic reminder of
the county's early development.
(1982) |
The 1979 Collin
County Courthouse -
McKinney, Texas
Architect
- Jarvis Putty Jarvis, Inc. & Harvey G. Moore, Associate Material
- Steel, brick and concrete.
Style - modern
Demolished in October of 2010 |
The demolished
1979 Collin County Courthouse
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, June 2007 |
1927
Collin County Courthouse
111 N. Tennessee
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, June 2007 |
The 1874 (remodeled
1927) Collin County Courthouse
McKinney, Texas
Date - 1874
Architect - Charles Wheelock
Style - Second empire
Material - Brick and stone
Remodeled 1927
W. A. Peters (Sparger and Peters)
Style - Neoclassical Revival Style
"The 1874 Collin County courthouse on the square was restored
to its 1927 condition in 2006. It now serves as the McKinney
Performing Arts Center." - Terry
Jeanson |
Historical Marker:
On City Square, 111 N. Tennessee
1927 Collin
County Courthouse
Collin
County was formed in 1846 and its only town,
Buckner,
was automatically selected as the county seat. To comply with state
law, an election was held to relocate the county seat to the center
of the county. Only eleven people participated due to inclement weather,
and when the vote was tallied McKinney
was established as the county seat in 1848.
The first courthouses in McKinney were
modest wooden structures. A third
courthouse was erected on this site during 1874-1875, and was
opened for use in 1876. The 2-story Victorian structure was made of
native limestone blocks with a steep mansard roof and a main entrance
that faced east. The building's architect, often mistakenly identified
as Charles Wheeler, was Charles Wheelock of Sherman.
The much-celebrated courthouse on the square became a backdrop for
parades and other events.
The structure was overcrowded and in poor condition by the mid-1920s.
Extensive exterior and interior renovations included the removal of
the mansard roof and tower caps, as well as the addition of a third
story and basement. Overseen by W. A. Peters of the Paris, Texas,
architectural firm of Sparger and Peters, the work resulted in a classical
revival edifice completed in 1927. Original features included
tripartite windows with flanking double classical columns on the north
and south facades. The new structure was commonly known as the "Temple
of Justice," and continued to be the center of activity for city and
county functions. It remained in service as a courthouse until 1979.
The structure remains a fine example of 20th century classical revival
design and a monument to Collin
County history.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998 |
 |
The 1874 Collin
County Courthouse after the 1927 remodeling to Neoclassical Revival
Style.
Photo courtesy texasoldphotos.com |
The Old Collin
County Courthouse as it appeared in 1939
Photo courtesy TxDoT |
Another view
of the remodeled Collin County Courthouse
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
The 1874 Collin
County Courthouse as it appeared in 1908
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/ %7Etxpstcrd/ |
Another view
of the 1874 Second Empire Style Collin County Courthouse
Postcard circa 1908, courtesy THC |
| Photographer's
Note: The signs below were uncovered when
the original paint was restored in the basement of the Old Collin
County courthouse. The text on the plaque beneath both signs is the
same. - Terry
Jeanson, June 2007 |
Click on image
to enlarge the plaque below the signs.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, June 2007 |
Click on image
to enlarge the plaque below the signs.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, June 2007 |
Stroll
down the east side of the square. Stop. View for a few minutes the
towers of the courthouse and you will wonder why they are allowed
to remain in their present unsightly condition. The panes in the windows
are broken out; the shutters are torn off and lie in the debris in
the attic, the rain blows in at the openings.
Bats in the belfry? No one can say, but it is known that hundreds
of English sparrows and pigeons find a roosting place in the towers.
If Collin County is not able to build a new Temple of Justice … then
we can at least put in some window-panes and patch up the holes.
On top of all that, the roof leaks, the floors are warped, and county
records are getting soaked.
You
would think you were reading a recent report but this came from the
May 5, 1921 edition of the Weekly Democrat-Gazette. The same
could have been said of conditions prior to the start of restoration
and rehabilitation of the Old Collin County Courthouse.... next
page › |
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Collin
County Forum:
Collin County
Courthouse Wedding
My husband, Steve and I were married in the old [Collin County]
courthouse in 1973. We eloped on the last day before our blood tests
would have to be redone -- really! We've made it 33 years in January...
there was snow on the ground back then and we spent our honeymoon
iced in on Parker Road in a neat A-frame redwood house that we rented
on the creek across from what is now Collin County Community College
Spring Creek Campus... Plano had about 30,000 people then -- I think
they were all on the east side of Central Exprwy. We bought our
rings at Weatherford Jewelers in downtown Plano and our first Christmas
tree at the Wall-Robbins house on Ave. K.
In 1987, I bought a picture of the old courthouse, but it didn't
look anything like when we were married... I learned from your website
photos that it was changed over the years and the painting that
I have (a limited editon by John Pototschnik) is at the turn of
the century -- with snow and all -- even more of a treasure!
I now serve on the Plano Heritage Commission and will work my first
Blackland Prairie Festival this year, dressing in the 1890's costume.
One daughter lives in the Schimelpfenig House on 17th, a beautifully
restored Victorian and my other daughter and grandchildren live
in Frisco,
where my daughter teaches at CCCC; my son will be returning to Plano
this summer after graduation from Texas Tech, so we are in Collin
County for good! The children gave us a surprise 25th anniversary
party and about 80 old friends, new friends and family came to wish
us well. These are some of the most remarkable times of our married
lives since we got married without any gala. I hope to be invited
to the grand-reopening of the old courthouse... it won't be the
same without the Justice of the Peace performing the rites amidst
the ringing phone and papers all over the desk!
Thanks for your work and allowing me to share some good times and
history with you! - Janice Craze Cline, Plano, TX, March 17, 2006
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