When you look at the Hopkins County Courthouse today, the regal Romanesque structure of red granite and sandstone towers above a rejuvenated Sulphur Springs Square. Tourists find their way downtown to take a few photographs of one of Texas' famous 'temples of justice.' New businesses are finding their way downtown, as well, providing services for the increase of visitors. That wasn't always the case, however, and Hopkins County Commissioner Beth Wisenbaker drove to Bonham to speak at a special meeting of the Fannin County Commissioners Court last week to share the challenges along the road to restoration.
(l-r) Barbara McCutcheon, Clark Smith and Gregory Hall traveled to Sulphur Springs to tour the Hopkins County Courthouse and learn how Fannin County might repeat the success of their neighbor to the east.
Seven years ago, Hopkins County Commissioners were deciding what to do about an aging, possibly even dangerous courthouse.
"When you walked through it," Commissioner Wisenbaker recalled, "you could feel the floor move. Patchwork updates on wiring installed in 1906 had resulted in a spaghetti mess of conduit. So, it wasn't like our courthouse wasn't in bad shape, anyway."
Restoring the Hopkins County Courthouse, however, required a coordinated effort between the county, city and school leaders, along with the unflinching support of residents that voiced their willingness to begin fundraising efforts. The successful team that Hopkins County assembled also depended on the expertise of grant specialist Jay Firsching of ARCHITEXAS and, maybe most important of all, a construction firm that could be depended on to complete the project with the funding allotted for restoration.
Wisenbaker admitted the project may have never gotten off the ground without the guidance of Firsching, a former employee of the Texas Historical Commission that now works for ARCHITEXAS.
Founded in 1978, ARCHITEXAS has grown to be Texas’ largest preservation-based architecture firm with offices in Dallas and Austin. The firm offers a wide range of planning and architectural services in the area of historic preservation and restoration.
"He understood both sides of the issue," the Hopkins County Commissioner explained. "I don't think we could have even made it through the grant process without him."
Hopkins County carefully selected the construction firm with the most experience at restoring historic Texas courthouses, Harrison, Walker & Harper, a firm with headquarters in Paris, Texas.
"They brought it in on budget," Wisenbaker said of Harrison, Walker & Harper, adding that the construction firm stood behind their work and continues to work closely with Hopkins County.
Firsching attended the Fannin County Commissioners Court special meeting August 16, along with Jordan Harper, Hunter Moore and Harrison, Walker & Harper construction superintendent Ricky Taylor.
The restoration of the Hopkins County Courthouse also brought about many other changes in Sulphur Springs, Wisenbaker noted. The city now has a historical downtown district and an active downtown association to guide a more comprehensive restoration of the heart of the city. The city council budgeted matching funds to help building owners with renovation and architectural costs.
"We are drawing more and more people because they see a vibrant downtown," the Hopkins County Commissioner stated. "When they see the money you are investing, others will be more inclined to invest in your city and county."
Wisenbaker has also volunteered to appear before the Bonham City Council and share the city plan that is guiding Sulphur Springs through the transformation.
In addition, she pointed out the valuable role Sulphur Springs ISD played in the courthouse restoration. Moving out of the courthouse cost Hopkins County approximately $100,000. Large amounts of office space were required when all Hopkins County Courthouse personnel relocated so the restoration process could begin. Sulphur Springs ISD stepped up and leased office space to the county during the transition for a minimal fee, somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 a year.
The move back into the courthouse cost Hopkins County much less, approximately $30,000 in all, because any documents and records that weren't necessary for the county to maintain were donated to libraries and a genealogical society.
Among the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office inmates were several prisoners with extensive carpentry skills. The inmates helped modify office space so the offices of the District Clerk and County Clerk could move quickly and continue producing revenue for the county.
"Everybody came together," Wisenbaker said. "We had help from judges, the sheriff, our probation office...and it seemed like every elected official was on board."
Wisenbaker repeated several times that this challenging process is only possible when all entities within a county cooperate. The result is an increasing tax base that will, in turn, benefit those same entities.
A courthouse grant application from the Texas Historical Commission (THC) was sent to Fannin County last week and the county will have approximately two months to improve its original grant application. Grants will be awarded in January.
Jay Firsching volunteered to guide Fannin County through the process.
"This is the kind of project they want to do," Firsching commented, referring the THC. "The grant application you turned in before will all roll forward."
Firsching said Fannin County will be very unlikely to receive a grant for construction funding in January, but the immediate goal should be to receive a grant to help the county pay for plans and specifications. He advised county officials to secure the grant for plans and specifications, carefully devise a comprehensive restoration plan with extensive input from the steering committee and work towards a more competitive stance when the state legislature hopefully allocates more construction grant funds in 2009.
"You are looking at being two years out," Firsching said in closing.
"Don't get in a hurry," Hopkins County Commissioner Wisenbaker echoed. "Texas Historical Commission will hold you to the highest level of restoration you can achieve. There will be certain footprints of history, valuable historical elements in THC's opinion, that will have to remain in the courthouse. But they gave us nearly $4 million...so we did it their way."
The first step in this long journey will be to have an experienced construction firm determine a reliable estimate for the restoration of the Fannin County Courthouse.
Fannin County Commissioners will convene for a special meeting 1:30 p.m. Monday, August 20, to consider awarding a work agreement to Harrison, Harper & Walker to research the condition of the courthouse and Commissioners will also consider appointing District Judge Laurine Blake to the steering committee for the restoration of the courthouse.
"Envision how this courthouse looked in 1888," Wisenbaker suggested. "There are no challenges that can't be met if that is what all of you truly want."
