Abilene, Texas

Taylor County hired Magee Architects in 2008 to perform a security study and assess future needs for the existing courthouse. The study focused on controlling access in the entrance lobby, the safe and secure transport of defendants to and from court and the reconfiguration of the existing courtrooms to increase security and functionality.

The study identified the need for a sally port as one of the highest priorities and Magee Architects was retained to design a new 3,900 square foot addition. The sally port was designed with an emphasis on security and includes a vehicular drive-through, four holding cells, a secure connection to the existing courthouse and a control station.

The existing courthouse, completed in 1972, has become an iconic building in downtown Abilene and as such, the exterior of the sally port addition was designed to match and complement the architecture of the existing structure. Texas pink granite highlights the precast concrete panels and rustic terrazzo paving of the new addition. The secure connection between the new sally port and the existing courthouse is sheathed in aluminum and glass in order to complement the existing architecture and to transition smoothly between the new and the existing construction.

The sally port addition was completed in the fall of 2010.