Travis County officials weigh plans for potential historical district

Today, the Heman Marion Sweatt Courthouse houses the Justice of the Peace for Precinct 5 under local statute, which performs services like landlord-tenant disputes and small claim lawsuits, as well as some traffic violations, public intoxication and minors in possession of alcohol or tobacco.

The courthouse is also currently being utilized for both county and district clerk records storage, state mandated business court, special functions of the district attorney’s office, and bailiff services related to the county constable of Precinct 5.

“It's not a real active area of downtown,” County Judge Andy Brown said. “... [Maybe] we're able to make this a great museum space and a place for people to learn about Austin and Travis County history. [We could] work with the city to figure out something on those blocks. ... Maybe we could find some partnership with the private sector to look at options there.”

Additionally, the planned Austin light rail project, which is slated to break ground in 2027, has outlined a transit station at Woolridge Square Park, just steps from the historic courthouse. Brown suggested the stop could even be named the “Museum District” platform.

The property has previously attracted significant interest from the private sector.

“We are receiving a tremendous number of phone calls and suggestions from the private sector with regard to partnership [and potential] utilization of the block that we own,” former County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said in 2016.

A closer look

Plans for this building date back to 2015, after a ballot measure failed for the construction of a new civil and family courts complex. In 2016, commissioners approved a draft preservation master plan for the courthouse.

According to county staff, the draft plan was submitted to the historical commission the same year, but it was never revised for approval as staff shifted focus to the opening of the new Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility at 1700 Guadalupe St., which opened in late 2022.

August 2023, officials approved $100,000 to hire a historic preservation architect to draft new conceptual preservation plans for the structure in order to obtain grant funding for the design and construction work.

The total restoration of the building is currently estimated at $124 million.

During a recent update on the project, county staff told commissioners the project did not receive the planning and design grant funding which it had applied for in 2024, but may still qualify for construction funding.

Presently, the county currently has $10 million earmarked for the project through its Capital Acquisition Resource, or CAR, funds; however, staff were directed to explore additional funding opportunities during the May 6 meeting.

Quote of note

“The space between the Capitol and the courthouse, with all the historic buildings, the county buildings and the parks—we could re-imagine [the area] really paying attention to the history,” Commissioner Ann Howard said.