Built in 1885 on the former site of the D.W. Merritt home, this building served as the county jail until 2005 making it the second longest continuously operating jail in Texas.  Architects for the building were Dietz & Piper and it was built by the firm Pickett & Mead.  The 1885 jail cages were built by P.J. Pauly & Brothers Company.  In 1976, the Mayfield Construction Company of San Antonio enlarged and modified the building.  Rita, Inc. purchased the building in 2014 and plans to reveal the original building facade through restoration work.