Fannin County Judge Randy Moore can see the proverbial light at the end of a lengthy and occasionally dark tunnel.
The county courthouse, which has been torn apart and put back together piece by piece, brick and stone by brick and stone, is about to welcome human beings back into its halls.
Moore said the courthouse on the square in downtown Bonham is set to reopen no later than the first week of January. The interior will be virtually finished, Moore said, with one notable exception – more than likely. He said the “main courtroom” might not yet be ready for use, given the extensive woodwork that needs to be done on it.
“All the stonework will be done,” Moore said.
The landscaping is another matter, he said. “It won’t be done in time,” Moore said. He added that employees will be able to work inside the renovated building, but the landscaping will take some additional time to complete.
The county obtained a Texas Historical Preservation grant to pay for the exterior work. The grant totaled $6 million. The county then in 2018 asked voters to approve a $21 million bond issue to pay for the rest of it. Voters agreed and Moore, who took office in 2019, got to work immediately to shepherd the project to its completion.
County offices have been spread around Bonham, including at City Hall, where Moore and the commissioners court meet regularly.
KETR.org reported earlier: “Look, we’re restoring this thing back to 1888,” when it was first built, said Moore, calling the Fannin County restoration project “the most restored courthouse in Texas,” meaning that it, according to Moore, will have been rebuilt more completely than any other of the projects approved by the Historical Commission”