The Fredericksburg Memorial Library, also known as the Pioneer Memorial Library or the Old Courthouse, is located at 115 W. Main Street, Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, Texas

Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...

, Gillespie County

Gillespie County, Texas

Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...

, in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. Designed by Alfred Giles

Alfred Giles (architect)

Alfred Giles was a British architect who emigrated to Texas in the 19th Century. Many of the private homes and public buildings designed by Giles are on the National Register of Historic Places and have been designated Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. A number of his designs can be found in San...

, it was built in 1882 to replace the original 1855 courthouse, and was later superseded by the current 1939 courthouse designed by Edward Stein.
The first floor houses the Pioneer Memorial Library, while the second floor functions as community hall. It is often called the McDermott Building because of the 1967 and 1984 restorations funded by Mr. & Mrs. Eugene McDermott. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....

 in 1967.

Construction

The native limestone structure was designed in 1882 by architect Alfred Giles

Alfred Giles (architect)

Alfred Giles was a British architect who emigrated to Texas in the 19th Century. Many of the private homes and public buildings designed by Giles are on the National Register of Historic Places and have been designated Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. A number of his designs can be found in San...

 in the Romanesque Revival

Romanesque Revival architecture

Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...

 style. Giles also designed the Brooks County Courthouse

Brooks County Courthouse (Texas)

Brooks County Courthouse is located in Falfurrias, in the U.S. state of Texas. The structure was designed by Alfred Giles in 1914 in the Classic revival style. Prior to the erection of the brick county courthouse, local government housed itself in rented space. The courthouse was named a Recorded...

, Live Oak County Courthouse

Live Oak County Courthouse (Texas)

Live Oak County Courthouse is located in George West, in the U.S. state of Texas. Designed by architect Alfred Giles in 1919 in the Classic revival style, this is the last courthouse Giles designed...

, Presidio County Courthouse

Presidio County Courthouse

The Presidio County Courthouse is located in Marfa in the U.S. state of Texas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1964.-Design:...

, Webb County Courthouse

Webb County Courthouse (Texas)

The Webb County Courthouse is located in Laredo in the U.S. state of Texas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.-Design:...

 and Wilson County Courthouse

Wilson County Courthouse and Jail (Floresville, Texas)

The Wilson County Courthouse and Jail are located in Floresville, Texas. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas in 1978 and as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1984....

, as well as courthouses in the counties of Goliad and Kerr

Kerr County, Texas

Kerr County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 49,625. Its county seat is Kerrville. Kerr County was named by Joshua D. Brown for his fellow Kentucky native, James Kerr, a congressman of the Republic of Texas...

. In 1909, Giles designed the facade of the Kendall County Courthouse

Kendall County Courthouse and Jail (Texas)

The limestone Kendall County Courthouse and Jail are located in Boerne, in the U.S. state of Texas. They were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1970....

. He also designed the 1885 Llano County

Llano County, Texas

Llano County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 19, 301. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River....

 courthouse, which burned down in 1892. On November 28, 1881. Giles was commissioned for $1,000 by the Gillespie County Commissioners. Built of local limestone, the Dietz Quarries supplied the limestone for the main structure, while John Dechert Quarries of Luckenbach

Luckenbach, Texas

Luckenbach is an unincorporated community thirteen miles from Fredericksburg in southeastern Gillespie County, Texas, United States, part of the Texas Hill Country. It consists of between South Grape Creek and Snail Creek, just south of U.S. Highway 290 on the south side of Farm to Market Road...

 supplied the limestone for the trim. Building contractors John Heinen & James A. Courtney erected the structure at a cost of $23,000.

Restoration

When a new courthouse was built in 1939, the old building served a variety of uses, until its state of disrepair forced it to be condemned in 1963. The building was restored in 1967 as a home for the library, a gift from Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...

 founder and Dallas philanthropists Mr. & Mrs. Eugene McDermott

Eugene McDermott

Eugene McDermott was a geophysicist and co-founder of first of Geophysical Service and later of Texas Instruments.Born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 12, 1899. He graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1919 with a mechanical engineering degree.-Early career:Upon graduation,...

. Eugene McDermott died in 1973. A second renovation of the library occurred in 1984 with matching funds from Mrs. McDermott and the community.