Jefferson County Courthouse, Beaumont, Texas
historic place
The Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, Texas, is a historic place. The current courthouse, a fourteen-story Art Deco building, was completed in 1931. Architects Fred Stone and A. Babin designed it with sculpted ornamentation and marble interior work. This was not the first county building on the site. The initial structure, a jailhouse completed in 1838, also held county offices and courts. When the Commissioners Court needed more space, sessions moved to private homes. The first dedicated courthouse was built in 1854 by John A. Beaumont. This two-story square building also hosted Baptist and Methodist congregations. During the Civil War, it served as a hospital for Confederate surgeon D. T. Inglehart. A second courthouse, a three-story red brick building by E. T. Heiner, followed in 1893. The oil boom of the 1920s led to significant population growth, making that building inadequate. It was then replaced by the present Art Deco structure. The Jefferson County Courthouse reflects the changing needs and architectural styles of county government in Beaumont.