The big picture
Demolitions for the buildings are either complete or underway with the following time frames:
- The former Williamson County and Cities Health District building: demolished Nov. 12-14
- A cinder-block building next to the historic jail: demolished Nov. 12
- A three-story building attached to the historic jail: demolition completed by Nov. 20-21
On Nov. 4, the buildings began an interior stripping process to recycle materials, Covey said.
What to expect
Deconstruction of the nonhistoric additions near the jail are part of the court’s plan to repurpose the block and sell it, Covey said in an interview with Community Impact.
“It's up on a hill, it's close to downtown [and] it's right on Austin Avenue, so there's a lot of opportunities there,” Covey said. “A boutique hotel, perhaps, restaurants—variations of those things.”
The county hopes to put the area back on the tax roll with the potential sale, Covey said.
“The county is actively trying to find the buyer for the historic part of the jail to transform a landmark building into something truly special for downtown,” she said.
Looking back
The historic jail was in use from 1889-1989, and during its operation, the county sheriff lived inside the jail with his family, Covey said.
For several years, the site was also home to Nightmare on Jail Hill, an annual fundraising event for Williamson County Brown Santa that turned the jail into a haunted house. The last event at the jail was in 2019 and stopped due to COVID-19 restraints, Covey said.
“It was quite spooky,” Covey said. “They did an excellent job of taking a really old facility and making it into a haunted house.”
The three-story building attached to the historic jail was added in 1979, and WCCHD relocated its headquarters from Georgetown to Round Rock in 2019, a Williamson County official said in an email to Community Impact.
In 1989, the county opened the south side of its current jail off West Fourth Street, which is not currently undergoing construction or demolition. The jail’s north side opened in 2003, the official said.
Next steps
On Aug. 20, Covey presented a strategic plan for the existing justice center and jail since the county has outgrown its current facilities, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
County commissioners have a workshop planned for Dec. 17 to discuss expansion options for both facilities.
