“Old Red” Courthouse 1895: This is the “Old Red” Dallas County Courthouse in a picture taken in 1895, 4 years after it was finished. This picture would have been taken across Houston, between Elm and Main streets, with Houston St. going off to the right, and Main St. going off to the left. Note the bell tower and clock, which was removed in 1919. The platform for this clock tower is still there today. Dallas County is now working on a restoration project, and it will include an attempt to rebuild the clock/bell tower. (From the collections of the Texas/Dallas History and Archives Division)

The “Old Red” Dallas County Courthouse occupies the block on the southeast corner of Main and Houston streets. It was built as the sixth Dallas County courthouse in 1890-92, and is one of the oldest structures in Dallas today. In fact, when the Sixth Floor Museum excavated the area on the western side of the TSBD for a parking lot and entrance, many of the old red stones used in the Old Red construction were uncovered, confirming that the western areas were used as deployment and work areas for the construction of the old courthouse. Old Red was built in a Romanesque Revival style, of Pecos red sandstone. It has eight columns of Texas granite at the entrances, and is capped by eight round towers of 118 feet. The main building is three stories high, with a large platform in the center surrounded by Gargoyles. This platform originally held a large clock with chimes, and can still be seen atop the building today. This original bell tower, with its Howard clock, was removed in 1919 because of structural damage the 4500 pound bell and hourly chiming had caused.