Hillsboro Cell Block Museum
Hillsboro, Texas
The Hill County Jail was constructed in Hillsboro, TX in 1893. Both the historic jail and the Hill County Courthouse were designed by architect W.C. Dodson during the state’s most significant period of courthouse construction. The architectural form of the building reflects the function of the building as both a home for the jailer and as a jail. The residence section of the building appears as a simple Folk Victorian home with modest ornamentation from the street. The cell block portion contains castellation along the parapets, a popular form of jail embellishment during the period which gives the building a feeling of impenetrability and solidity. The structure is on the National Register of Historic Places and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
The building was rehabilitated into a museum for the county in the 1980s. Currently the Hill County Cell Block Museum is in need of stabilization and structural repairs. Architexas and a team of consultants conducted a conditions assessment of the existing structure in order to provide repair and restoration recommendations. Programming discussions with the Museum Board led to the development of project goals for the future use of the building. The stabilization report and vision plan of the historic jail is ongoing.
