Waller County is named for Edwin Waller, who was the first mayor of Austin and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Washington County and Grimes County
E – Montgomery County and Harris County
S – Fort Bend County
W – Austin County and Washington County
Created: April 28, 1873
County Seat:
Hempstead 1873 – present
Old County Courthouse (demolished) – Hempstead
Location: 836 Austin Street / 9th Street
Built: 1955 – 1956
Style: Modern
Architect: Herbert Voelcker
Contractor: Baxter Construction Company, Inc.
Description: The building faced south and was a three story red-orange colored brick, concrete, limestone and glass structure. The rectangular shaped building was located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Hempstead. The building had a large limestone faced center section framing the entrance. Vertical concrete dividers separated the windows. The roof line was flat. In the interior the County District Court courtroom was located on the second story and was paneled with light colored wood. The building housds the County District Court, County Constitutional Court, County Court of Law and County Justice Court. Located on the southwest corner of the grounds is a tower with the clock and bell from the 1894 courthouse. The building was demolished in 2023.
New County Courthouse – Hempstead
Location: 836 Austin Street / 9th Street
Built: 2024 – 2025
Style: Modern
Architect: Brinkley Sargent Wiginton
Contractor: Sedalco Construction Services
Description: The building faces south and is a four story red-orange and buff colored brick, concrete, limestone and glass structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Hempstead. The building resembles the 1894 courthouse.
The new courthouse is home to the Commissioners Court along with the offices of the tax assessor-collector, county clerk, auditor, and treasurer; the building also includes space for future county departments.
Marble wall panels were saved and installed at the main wall of the Commissioners Court Courtroom, which also features a stained-glass ceiling illuminated by a cupola. The first floor main public lobby features an updated terrazzo map similar to the previous terrazzo map, which can now be viewed from the second floor lobby through the center ceiling opening. New lantern-style fixtures located at the main entrance are fashioned from custom-made stained glass. Light fixtures displaying a top cap are replicas of the existing clock tower cupola top.
History: The county was created in 1873 and Hempstead was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a rented frame structure called the “Texas House”. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1877. The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1893. The third courthouse was designed by A O Watson and constructed by M Clark of Galveston built in 1894. The building was demolished in 1955 when the present and fourth courthouse was constructed in 1955 to 1956. The fifth courthouse was constructed in 2023 to 2025 at a cost of $43,000,000.
County Courthouse – Hempstead
County District Court courtroom
Old Courthouse Clock and Bell (1894) – Hempstead
Courthouse 2006 – Hempstead
Courthouse 2006 and 2014