Kendall County Courthouse and Jail - Boerne, TX - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The original section of the present Kendall County Courthouse was designed by S.F. Stendeback. It was a simple one-story building two bays deep and four bays wide.

In 1885 the County Commissioner's Court authorized the addition of a second story with a "gallery." Charles Buckel drew the plans. Characteristic of many of the buildings located in the predominantly German populated county, the building incorporated fine craftsmanship. Stone walls with flush masonry joints were accented by corner quoining and cut stone lintels spanning the openings. The cornice was developed with simple moldings, accented with brackets. On the south, or main, facade a two story porch was included. Victorian gingerbread provided charm to the ensemble. Over the main section of the building above the entrance was a Mansard roof with delicate cast iron cresting.

In 1909 it was determined that the courthouse should be expanded. Alfred Giles, San Antonio architect, was commissioned to draw the plans. The construction contract was subsequently awarded to E.H. Clemens.

The design of the new addition, like the previous expansion, reflected the stylistic trends of the period in Texas. The semi-circular arches of the Romanesque Revival style appeared on many Texas buildings of the 1890s and early years of the twentieth century. In the 1909 addition to the Kendall County Courthouse, these features distinguish the entrance as well as the walls above the upper cut stone stringcourse.

Stone, similar to that in the original walls, was employed in the addition and visually unified the works. However, the new architectural forms contrast with the original building. In the addition, the rough texture of the quarry-faced ashlar stonework contrasts with the smooth surfaces of the earlier part. Sophistication of craftsmanship is apparent in the wide cut-stone string courses and rectangular columns. Contrasting rough and smooth stones form a balustrade over the entrance.

The Kendall County Jail was constructed in 1887 by the Pauley Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, Missouri.

The three-story cube conforms to typical patterns for late nineteenth-century jails. The ground story contains sheriff's quarters while the cell blocks occupy the upper levels.

Fine stonework distinguishes the jail. Pilasters articulate the walls into rectangular panels; corner buttresses provide additional relief. Although now terminated by a simple coping, the original parapet had a decorative stone treatment. The openings are spanned with stone lintels. Cut stone was employed for the lintels, and stringcourses.