CANYON — While the outside has been renovated at the beautiful centerpiece of Canyon’s Town Square, the interior of the Randall County Courthouse is still in need of much repair and reconstruction.
Built in 1909, the courthouse served the entire region around Canyon for decades, until around the ’80s.
The Classical Revival building, with a central dome and brick and stone trim, was designed by Robert G. Kirsch. It was altered in 1945, when the original square clock tower was removed, and then expanded in the late 1950s. It was vacated by the county government in1980s, after operations were moved to newer facilities, which included a modern justice center housed in a former Walmart.
According to Texas Time Travel, it was once considered the heart of Llano Estacado, capital of Panhandle cowboy country and home to legendary ranchmen like Charles Goodnight. Randall County was organized in 1889, based on signatures of 45 qualified resident voters and an additional 105 names of passing travelers, along with names of their favorite horses and mules on T-Anchor Ranch.
Altbhough the building has been sitting dormant, many in Canyon believe that it still has life to give and serve a useful, functional purpose to the city and county. Its outside serves as a beautiful gathering place for Farmer’s Market, the Moon Market, Fourth of July festivities, Christmas celebrations and other important events.
Main Street Director Audry Miller thinks it has so much more potential.
Recently, Miller took the Globe-News inside the spacious interior to see the treasures inside, along with the potential room and historical significance, while explaining the history and the struggles the stately building has endured.
Miller had an old news clipping from the Amarillo Globe News from Oct. 24, 2008. It cost nearly $640,000 to fix the exterior of the courthouse, and at that time, voters were being asked to okay the spending of that in a referendum, which shows what the voters are in favor of.
The article informed the public of the option of local tax dollars being available to them to determine the future of the historic heart of the city. At that time, Mark Wilson, a Randall County resident, set a news conference, at which he said the first vote would only authorize spending.
“They didn’t end up having to spend this much money,” said Miller, because the Randall County Courthouse Restoration Committee run by Evelyn Eckerd worked on that and was derived from the Main Street program. “The effort raised $670,000, leaving the county only having to pay $430,000,” she said.
Miller said that the grant was a matching grant and covered the whole cost of $2 million. “At that time, we didn’t qualify for full restoration,” she added. She further added that it was an Emergency Grant and that funds are still available out there.
Miller said that she had some good purposes in mind that would suit the building, but she has to do more research on the subject.
While Miller pursues making the historic center a viable and useful place, she is currently working on lighting for the exterior of the building.
Why light up an empty building?
“One of the biggest obstacles is people wanting to know why illuminate a vacant building. To me the answer is simple,” Miller said. “It’s the centerpiece of the town, for Christmas — it’s like making a centerpiece in your home on the dining room table. So that everyone can see its beauty.”
The Canyon Main Street director continued, “This is the focal point of Canyon at every farmer’s market, moon market, Halloween event and Christmas, along with Fourth of July, of course.” Miller said that the lawn is beautiful and well kept, and the building is beautiful. And, drawing attendtion to it keeps it relevant.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that private citizens raised $670,000 to restore the facade of this building,” she said. “Many of them have died and are no longer here, but they cared about historic preservation.”
“If we have a vision for the building and see that there’s something we need and keep drawing attention to it, eventually we may have the support it’s going to take to restore it,” she said. “We may not have it in a year, or five or 10 years, but we could have it maybe in 20 years.”
Community growth, support shown in Randall County area
Miller said that Canyon is continuing to grow, with 1,900 homes being built and new people coming in.
According to Miller, they have a good part of the money to light up the courthouse already raised through donations. “We lack about $4,100,” she said, “and a majority has come from just everyday people in Canyon.” She said that she started the drive in April and has many models, including a 3-D model, of what the courthouse would look like.
“Weve had a lot of support and people are really showing that they care, and it’s going to be breathtaking,” she said. “It’s an investment and something for the future.”
She also mentioned that younger people coming back to Canyon are showing interest in the older buildings and finding practical uses for them.
Miller also explained that the building cannot be torn down because historical commission dollars were spent for the facade restoration. Although, at one time before the restoration, some had written a letter asking for permission to tear it down, it was denied.
Miller shared that she is working with the Sad Money Merchantile to host a fundraiser that will hopefully be announced in the future and would love to have the funding for lighting by Sept. 15, so they can get started on the project ahead of the holiday season.
She added that the father of the Standefer brothers, who own the Sad Monkey Mercantile, helped to build the Sad Money Mercantile, and their great-grandfather helped build the Randall County Courthouse in the 1900s.
Miller said that the county did try to save it several times, but it was rejected by taxpayers at that time. “I think we’ll get there,” she said.
Nell Williams is a staff writer covering trends and other news for the Amarillo Globe-News. Have a story idea? Email her at nwilliams@usatodayco.com .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Glimpse inside Historic Randall County Courthouse shows needed repairs
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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By Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News | USA TODAY Network
