The Classical Revival courthouse remains the center of the county though not of the commercial district, which is a block to the west oriented to the Colorado River. Alterations in the 1920s removed the courthouse's tower and covered the brick walls with plaster. The Bastrop County Jail located next to the courthouse is a three-story Second Empire building constructed in 1891, utilizing patented jail cells by the Pauly Jail Building Company. Designed by Eugene T. Heiner and built by Martin, Byrnes and Johnston, it served as the county jail until 1974.