Old Red Courthouse

In April of 2005, we took a little trip to downtown Dallas to visit the Old Red Courthouse.. What an amazing structure! I could go on and on about this fascinating piece of history, but I can't stand the wait. Let's go straight to the pictures, okay?

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Beautiful! It almost looks like a castle from a fairy tale!
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"Old Red" was built in 1892 and was the original Dallas County courthouse.
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The courthouse is located in Dealey Plaza. Some of you may know that John F. Kennedy was assassinated as his car rode through this area.
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Here's an interesting shot, the old courthouse with an ultra-modern skyscraper right behind it.
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This is a shot from inside the courthouse. At the time we visited the building was behing was being restored so most of the interior was blocked off.
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I only recently learned that the original courthouse had a tall clock-tower rising from its center. The tower was removed in 1919 because it was feared that the reverberations from the three-ton bell would damage the building. Part of the recent restoration efforts replaced the tower so the building looks a little different today.
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They sure don't build them like this anymore. The courthouse is constructed of Pecos red sandstone, Texas red granite, and Arkansas blue granite. This thing will probably stand forever!
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This is actually the fifth courthouse to reside onthis spot since Dallas County became the county seat in 1850. It was constructed of stone and iron (even on the inside) because previous courthouses had burned down.
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I tried to find out how long this building remained in service, but there is surprisingly little information to be found on the internet. I did read that this courthouse is where Jack Ruby was tried and convicted so I guess it was still in use into the 1960's at least. If you don't know who Jack Ruby is (shame on you!) he was the man who killed JFK's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
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Look at that creepy guy!
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The term "gargoyle" literally means throat or gullet. They were originally used as waterspouts on rooftops and the water was expelled through the creature's mouth. But with the advent of rain gutters in the 18th century the gargoyle became out-moded and since then has been used only for ornamentation.
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I love those arched windows!
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Due to the restoration that was going on at the time, some of the windows were boarded up.
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I love a good silhouette shot!
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I wonder how much it costs to cool this place during the hot Texas summers. At least it's got good insulation.
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Oops! I think I was falling down when I snapped this one!
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Wouldn't it be awesome to live here?
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Well, that's the Old Red Courthouse in historic downtown Dallas, Texas. We had a great time visiting and I loved learning about the building's history. I think it's about time we got back down there to take a look at the restorations that have been done.

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If you live in the Dallas area or are planning to visit you definitely need to visit this area. Within just a couple of bloks of the courthouse you'll also find the JFK memorial and the "6th Floor Museum" which is in the old Texas Book Depository building (I'll have a pic of that on an upcoming series).

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Thanks for visiting! If you want to learn more about the Old Red Courthouse, check out their website at http://www.oldred.org/. You can see more of my photo blogs by using the archive at the right edge of the screen, or go back to my home page by clicking here.