Potter
County Courthouse
Organized in August 1887, Potter County erected its first
courthouse in 1888 in old town Amarillo. The building was constructed by Mays,
Hightower, and Jackson for a cost of $191.
Over the years, three more courthouses were built as
Amarillo and Potter County grew. During the 1920s the panhandle experienced an
oil boom. As a result, business increased, the population of Amarillo nearly
tripled, and eight skyscrapers were added to the city.
The fifth courthouse in Potter County, this building was
designed by Architect W. C. Townes of Townes, Lightfoot, and Funk of Amarillo.
It was constructed at a cost of $420,000 in 1930-32 by Amarillo builder Charles
Lambie. More than 500 laborers, residents of Potter County, applied to work on
building the new courthouse.
The Potter County courthouse is a fine local example of an
art deco style institutional building. It exhibits stepped massing from its
entrance pavilion to the top of the tower, and skillful use of details that
include ornamental figural and botanical bas relief, symmetrical pilasters and
metal casement windows.
Recorded
Texas Historical Landmark—1996
—Plaque in front of the building |