Decatur is the seat of Texas' Wise County, which is about an hour or so north of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is bordered to the north by Montague County which is adjacent to Oklahoma. So we're pretty far north in East Texas.
Wise County was founded in 1856 and is named after Virginia Congressman Henry A. Wise, who has supported annexation of Texas by the United States. He was elected governor of Virginia in 1856.
J. Riely Gordon's design of the Wise County Courthouse was similar but not identical to his design for the Ellis County Courthouse https://www.yelp.com/biz/ellis-county-courthouse-waxahachie?hrid=eBGUKM-BrvGmolUsyqKK0w. It was built in 1896 and illustrates Romanesque Revival characteristics that are found in a number of Gordon's Texas courthouses. This includes the use of turrets, a tower, segmented massing and fine ashlar masonry of contrasting textures and hues. The central tower, with its projecting balconies, setbacks and dormers, crowns the building. Particularly distinctive is the fine masonry work throughout the structure. The exterior walls are of rusticated pink granite, while the main columns are of polished pink granite.
Unfortunately, the building was closed for the night when I was here at 5:30pm on Saturday. I'd have liked to see the inside.
[Review 16105 overall - 285 in Texas - 1610 of 2021.] read more