Harris County Actually Agrees To Preserve Some History

This is Houston, where we tear down anything that isn't a) Less than 15 years old, and b) The Astrodome.

So it's a pleasant surprise to see that the county commissioners court has actually -- despite these tough economic times -- agreed to go ahead with the renovation of the original Harris County Courthouse.

The building is "historic" in Houston terms: it was built in 1908. It's also got the potential to be a terrific-looking piece of history, as anyone who's gotten a behind-the-scenes tour can tell you.

Much of its beauty has been plastered and walled over by renovations made as the size of county government grew.

But now the building will only house the 1st and 14th courts of appeal, so the buidling will be allowed to breathe again.

And the appellate courts will be moved from their sterile, Office Space-like surroundings at the South Texas College of Law, and STCL will get back some much-needed space on its campus.

We're sure there are people who will complain about the $65 million price for the project -- and we're betting it ends up costing more than that -- but this is one county expenditure we can get behind.

-- Richard Connelly