The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 98, July 1994 - April, 1995 Page: 20
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
turn of the century. Members of county building commissions often
looked to recent constructions in nearby counties as models for their
courthouses. Those courthouses were most likely to be designed by Gor-
don, who designed at least sixteen built in Texas, or one of the many
other Romanesque architects active during this period. Whether or not
Gordon would have preferred to work in the new Beaux-Arts style dur-
ing this period is difficult to determine. As Schuyler noted, however,
"the art of architecture is not to produce illusions or imitations, but real-
ities."4 For Gordon, reality after the Fair meant the Romanesque style,
and the quality of his work during this period indicates a high degree of
artistic satisfaction.
On a smaller scale, the Fair also provided momentum to the Mission
Revival style of architecture. This regional style was in its infancy in Cali-
fornia before the Fair. California's Mission-style building for the
Columbian Exposition was the second largest of the state buildings and
received the most critical acclaim; its success was largely responsible for
the blossoming of the style in that state after the Fair. Californians em-
braced their missions, which lacked their Texas counterparts' historical
association with revolution, as symbols of an idyllic yesterday.49 Possibly
for this reason, or because Texas did not have a true Mission-style build-
ing at the Fair to popularize it, the style did not become popular in
Texas until the 192os.5o If the Texas State Building played a role in the
development of the Mission Revival style, it may have been by fostering a
sense of rivalry in the California delegation. The Texas association's ear-
ly plans to build the third-largest state pavilion, patterned after San Jos6,
likely inspired the Californians to erect a more impressive building than
they may have otherwise built.51 Although the Texas State Building was a
Spanish Renaissance design, a Mission-style tribute to it may be found in
the Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railroad Depot (Quanah, 19o09) de-
signed by the Page brothers. This structure seems to have been inspired
by Gordon's final design, with added Mission Revival-style elements such
as mission-order gables and stucco finish.52
" Schuyler, "Last Words about the World's Fair," 301.
4" See Karen J. Weitze, California's Misszon Revival (Los Angeles: Hennesy and Ingalls, 1984),
particularly Chapt. 2, and Larson and Brown (eds.), The Spirit of H. H Richardson on the Midland
Praizres, 152n.
So Two notable exceptions are the Texas Cotton Palace (Waco, 1894, destroyed) and its suc-
cessor (designed by Jacob Larmour, Waco, 190o9, destroyed), which seem to have been patterned
directly after the California State Building. See Willard B. Robinson, Gone From Texas: Our Lost Ar-
chitectural Heritage (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1981), 182-185.
"I Weitze, California's Mission Revival 36-37.
2 James Wright Steely (comp.), A Catalog of Texas Properties in the National Register of Great Has-
tonc Places (Austin: Texas State Historical Commission, 1984), 78.July
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 98, July 1994 - April, 1995, periodical, 1995; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101216/m1/48/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.