Falls County Courthouse rededicated with ceremony

n By Elizabeth Richardson

Staff writer

 

Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott and the Texas Historical Commission unveiled the restored Falls County Courthouse in Marlin, Saturday, Oct. 16. A special moment of tribute was the ringing of the Courthouse bell by Miguel Lopez who was praised for his continued commitment to the maintenance and operations of the courthouse.

John Nau III, chairman of the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, noted its goal is to restore county courthouses’ usefulness and architectural beauty and the benefits of the program outweigh that objective. Restorations revitalize rural communities, generate jobs, tax revenue, and inspire heritage tourism. Nau said that he and the preservation team are happy to keep the place where so many memories were made and full of government history. 

“It took over 20 years to find funding for the much-needed renovations,” Falls County Judge Jay Elliott said. 

Upgrades included lighting, cleaning exterior weathered marble, HVAC and dire need to upgrade the interior electricity. The Texas Historic Commission, the state and county funded $5.8 million of the overall $6.9 million project cost. 

“We’re not just trying to save an old building, but Courthouse preservations support the economy with more than 600 jobs yearly and more than 12,000 total jobs since the Preservation Program began,” Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott said.

A short presentation was made by Karl Komatsu, President and CEO of the architectural firm, which is a leader in design-build management, interior design, and historic preservation. 

Kason Grant, MMS 7th grader, attended the rededication with his grandmother. During the tour, the County Clerks’ office explained to him what their office entailed. 

“I have passed this building I bet every day but had no idea of how it looked on the inside and what goes on in here,” Grant said. “It’s awesome.”

 

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