Historic Courthouse
Lee County's 1899 Courthouse Was Designed by a Celebrated Architect
The Lee County Courthouse in Giddings was built in 1899 in Romanesque Revival style by James Riely Gordon, who designed several notable Texas courthouses.
Lee County's first courthouse was built in 1878. It burned down in 1897. After that, the county hired James Riely Gordon, an architect from San Antonio, to design a new one.
Gordon was well known in Texas. He designed courthouses for many counties. The new Lee County Courthouse was finished in 1899. It is three stories tall and built in Romanesque Revival style — a look with rounded arches, heavy stone, and strong lines. It sits on Main Street in Giddings and has a clock tower with a clock face on each side. The Texas Historical Commission says it stands out among Gordon's courthouses because it is simpler and plainer than most of his other designs.
The building has been restored more than once. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) provided grant money to help pay for the work. An emergency grant came in 2010, and another grant followed in 2014. Workers repaired the stone walls, restored the windows, and updated the mechanical systems. Painters recreated decorative designs inside the district courtroom. Those designs were made to honor the county's Wendish heritage — the Wends were early settlers from Lusatia, in what is now Germany. The courthouse was rededicated in October 2004 after an earlier round of restoration. Check the THC source below for the full details.
Source to confirm: Texas Historical Commission — Lee County Courthouse