Loving County Courthouse
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Loving County Courthouse | |
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The courthouse, as seen from the northeast | |
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| Location | Bounded by Pecos St., Collins St., Dallas St., and TX 302, Mentone, Texas |
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| Coordinates | 31°42′30″N 103°35′56″W / 31.70833°N 103.59889°WCoordinates: 31°42′30″N 103°35′56″W / 31.70833°N 103.59889°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1935 |
| Architect | Wood, Evan J. |
| Architectural style | Moderne |
| Governing body | Local |
| NRHP Reference # | 06000362[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 10, 2006 |
The Loving County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Mentone, Texas. The courthouse was built in 1935, replacing a temporary courthouse since 1931. Architect Evan J. Wood designed the building in the Moderne style. The two-story courthouse is the tallest building in Loving County and the only symbol of county government in the county.[2]
As Loving County is the least populous county in the United States, few court proceedings have taken place at the courthouse. Only 726 civil cases were filed at the courthouse between 1931 and 2004, most of them involving car accidents or business disputes among the county's oil and gas producers. Two jury trials in 2003 were the first in the county since its district court was established in 1955; the county's entire adult population was called for the 60-person jury panel, and establishing a jury was nearly impossible due to a Texas law prohibiting relatives from serving on the same jury, as only two potential jurors were unrelated to another potential juror. Nonetheless, the courthouse plays an important role in Loving County, as nearly a third of its population is employed by the county government.[2]
The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 2006.[1]
As of summer 2011, a new courthouse annex was nearing completion across Collins Street to the northwest. It is expected to house the offices of the Sheriff and the County Clerk. The new single-story building of Southwestern style architecture will approximately equal the main courthouse in area of floor space.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Smith, Gregory (November 2, 2005). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Loving County Courthouse". National Park Service. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
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