Texas Business reports:  AUSTIN, Texas––The Texas Historical Commission (THC) announced Round VII grant recipients of its nationally recognized Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.

 Commissioners awarded matching grants totaling more than $21 million to 13 Texas counties to help preserve their historic courthouses.

The counties to receive funds in Round VII of the program are: Bexar, Cameron, Colorado, Edwards, Franklin, Hardeman, Marion, Mason, Navarro, Polk, San Saba, Upshur, and Throckmorton.

The awards include seven major construction grants totaling $20,172,559 and six emergency grants totaling $1,022,645.     

A total of 40 grant applications requesting more than $158 million were submitted in Round VII. Pending additional funding from the Texas Legislature, the THC anticipates continuing the highly successful program with additional rounds of grant opportunities.

“The goal of this program is to assist as many counties as possible,” said THC Architecture Division director Stan Graves in a prepared statement. “Our historic county courthouses are often the heart of communities throughout our state and the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program strives to preserve these temples of justice and remains dedicated to these important architectural landmarks.”

In 1998, Texas’ courthouses appeared on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places. As a result, the Texas Legislature established the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program and appropriated funding to preserve and protect them. In the previous six rounds of the program, the State of Texas has allocated $227 million, and counties have provided local matches of approximately $150 million to fully restore nearly 50 of the state’s historic county courthouses. The result of the successful partnership has been the creation of more than 8,579 jobs and more than $19 million generated in local taxes.

The Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program’s accomplishments have garnered national and international attention, with honors from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Association for Preservation Technology, the Texas Society of Architects, and the Society of Architectural Historians.

In 2008, the program was recognized with a Presidential Award from the White House. The program has also partnered with the Texas Land Title Association for the past five years to offer a series of stewardship workshops that provide training to ensure the restored structures are maintained, preserved, and do not fall back into disrepair.         

“With strong support from the Texas Legislature and the Texas Land Title Association we remain committed to restoring all of the historic county courthouses, while also ensuring they do not become vulnerable again,” said THC Executive Director Mark Wolfe. “These structures are symbols of pride and democracy and need to be nurtured to guarantee they continue to safeguard the real stories of Texas for future generations.”

Many of the state’s more than 230 historic courthouses are in disrepair due to insufficient funding for building care and maintenance. The estimated remaining need to restore the 64 courthouses that have submitted approved master plans is approximately $202 million in state funds.