The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-05-30

upon, in July, 1878, the county court
entered into contract with Z. w.
GcodIandcr, of Fort Scott, Kansas, FOL
the completion of the building. He
began work in August, 1873, and COM
plcted the whole in April, 1874. MIR.
Goodlander's contract gave him until
July /, 1874, t1 complete the work, but
he has anticipated it over two mouths.
The grand total cost of the edifice is
from seventy-five thousand to eighty
thousand dollars-in no event exceed
ing the latter figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING.
The walls are hard granite, rough
dressed, with finished facings, the stone
having been hauled from . quarry six
miles east of this city. The building is
sity-six by one hundred and ten feet
square, two stories high, surmounted,
first, by handsomely finished balus-
trades, crowned by splendid dome, af-
fording an indescribably grand and pic
turesquc view of the surrounding .coun-
try for many miles in every direction.
The floor is crossed by broad aud
transverse halls-east and west, north
and south-giving finished front to
each side. Each corner is divided into
two large and elegantly plastered
rooms, being eight in all, each with a
fire place. Two are occupied by the
district clerk, who fills the Implicated
relation of clerk to the district, criln-
inal and county courts. One is occu-
pied by the presiding justice of the
county, another by the sheriff, one
by the treasurer and surveyor, and one
by the district attorney. The others
are rented as offices for professional
uses.
Ascending by double stairway,
from the north hall to half hall above,
the second floor is Divided into two
superb court rooms-each forty-iive by
sixty-six feet two fine jury rooms, and
an entrance to the stairway leading to
the dome above. The height Of the
first ceiling is fourteen feet, and of the
second twenty-three feet. The floor of
the dome is sixty feet aboSethe ground,
and six hundred and forty feet above
the level of the sea. The extreme
point of the steeple is one hundred and
nine feet above the ground, and six
hundred and eighty-nine feet above the
sea.
The whole work, stone and wood, is
executed in the most faultless manner
The doors and windows, in shape, pro-
portion and finish are worthy of the
strictest architectural criticism. The
whole is as perfect in design and finish
rs Sir Christopher Wren could demand
| We present Our readers to-day viii
a fine drawing of the court house, rep
resenting aview from the south side o
the building, having had il photo
graphed and then engraved in St
| llDulSY lhilhliS lnO lA,iphS vi W.
HERALD and the people of the count,
generally would appreciate the troubl
and expense to which we have gone.
We present this review and engray
ing to-day because the bar association
of Dallas have chosen this day to cele
brate the completion of the nobl
structure by those means elsewher
set forth i'll these columns. II Is com
mendable in them to do so, for Will
every man in the county has jus
ground to be proud of the most mag
nificent structure in the state, our al
3 torneys have more especial reasons fc
graduation. Long may it stand as q
ornament and all honor to Dalla
county.