COUNTY CONSIDERS GAZEBO REPAIRS

  

Should the gazebo in front of the Washington County Courthouse be repaired, replaced or simply be torn down?

That was a question before the Washington County Commissioners at today’s (Tuesday’s) meeting.

County Judge John Brieden said that since the gazebo had some basic floor repairs just a few years ago, it has now become apparent that there is still a structural weakness in the gazebo.  He also asked architect Charles Keese if there was enough practical and historical value in the gazebo to do anything at all.

CHARLES KEESE
Architect Charles Keese says he needs direction on what to do with the courthouse gazebo

Keese said a similar gazebo in the same place at the previous Victorian courthouse.  He said also that the flooring needs some basic structural improvements and the steps have become unsafe.

County resident Bill Neinast told the Commissioners that the gazebo really has no significant historical meaning and its use has long since past.  He noted that the gazebo was once the site of band concerts and political rallies.  He says now there is the Dietrich Amphitheater at Hohlt Park for concerts and few political rallies ever take place there now that there is television and air conditioning.  Neinast urged the Commissioners to table the matter until they can determine the cost but he said he didn’t want any of his tax money to pay for a new or repaired gazebo.

The County Commissioners agreed to further discuss the gazebo’s future.

Gazebo
The Gazebo at the Washington County Courthouse was built in 1976.
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9 Comments

  1. The gazebo is the best part of the courthouse lawn. This courthouse is NOT attractive in anyway and DOES NOT fit with the character of the rest of downtown Brenham. Like anything, it needs to be updated and kept up with. Our gazebo provides plenty of utility for Hot Nights, the Christmas stroll, and the Wine Walk. Please, leave it where it is!

  2. PLEASE get rid of it!!!! So out of character with thecurrent courthouse. Entire grassy area around courthouse looks as if no though at all put into the placement of every marker, fountain or concrete things there now. Courthouse such a great building.

  3. Please save the Gazebo!! Repair and update to look old and be safe. Create new ways to use it. It may not be a hundred years old, but It is a part of who we are as a community! New folks are drawn to our “little town” because of its history and quaintness.

  4. Get an estimate and those that want to save it have the ability to raise the funds. Don’t use taxpayer money. If you want the gazebo, donate. Not enough donations, junk it.

  5. The gazebo does serve a purpose. It is a memory builder for every citizen of Washington County. Even if it is not in daily use, there are groups and people who do choose to use this building. Many memories of Maifest Royalty being announced, being able to visit with Santa during the Christmas stroll, even playing tag with childhood friends. Even though the County is growing, there are certain buildings which need to remain as a link to our past.

  6. Though the gazebo has no significant historical meaning/value, it is still a big part of our town and town history. Santa sits there every Christmas, and I can remember years ago that the gazebo was the “jail” during the Cancer fund raiser, and we could drive around the courthouse square and see all our “jailbirds” as they raised funds for cancer. Many times on Sundays, I see people sitting on the gazebo taking a break after walking around down town. And how many parents that had kids in scouts, band or gymnastics were told to meet at the gazebo? Hopefully they will repair it or even make it more grand than it already is. So much of my tax money already goes to less significant things, why not spend it to fix the old gazebo??

  7. My opinion on the gazebo is to either keep it or replace it. The gazebo has been a part of the courthouse and downtown Brenham for a long time and is looked at as a part of history.
    People find it useful in ways that it was not initially purposed for. I remember the gazebo as a child. It fascinated me. I had to climb the stairs and look over the railing with every visit to the courthouse. Weddings have taken place there. The gazebo is a soft reminder of the special day for a couple who made promises to each other.
    The gazebo does get used during the annual Hot Nights, Cool Tunes every summer. During Maifest it is seen and, more than likely, fascinates a new generation of children who will make memories. Later in their life, with the gazebo repaired/replaced, they will draw back to those memories when they pass by it and remember a happy, more simple time.
    Memories have been made. I am sure I am not the only one that has memories at the gazebo. Please don’t tear them down.

  8. If there is history to be preserved then by all means repair it. Let’s not be like the rest of the country and trash our history and heritage.

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