Woodbury County Courthouse

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Woodbury County Courthouse
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Woodbury County Courthouse
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Location620 Douglas Street
Sioux City, Iowa
Coordinates 42°29′49.6″N96°24′21.6″W / 42.497111°N 96.406000°W / 42.497111; -96.406000 Coordinates: 42°29′49.6″N96°24′21.6″W / 42.497111°N 96.406000°W / 42.497111; -96.406000
AreaLess than 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1918
Architect George Grant Elmslie,
William L. Steele,
William Gray Purcell
Architectural style Prairie School
MPS County Courthouses in Iowa TR (AD)
NRHP reference No. 73000744
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 18, 1973 [1]
Designated NHLJune 19, 1996 [2]

The Woodbury County Courthouse is located at 620 Douglas Street in Sioux City, the county seat of Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is regarded as "one of the finest Prairie School buildings in the United States" [3] and has been declared a National Historic Landmark for its architecture. It is used for legal proceedings in the county.

Contents

Early courthouses

Initially, crude log structures were used for county business. [4] Sioux City was made the county seat in 1856, and it was at this time a county-owned courthouse was considered. It was to be located on the public square and the foundation was laid in 1857. The contract to complete the building was let two years later, but it was canceled before construction could begin. County offices continued to be located in various locations in the city.

Voters approved the construction of a courthouse in October 1875. It was designed by Des Moines architect William L. Foster and built by brothers Charles E. Hedges and Daniel T. Hedges for $75,000. Designed in the Second Empire style, the building was composed of Kasota limestone. It featured a mansard roof with iron cresting and a corner tower capped with a dome and a statue of Lady Justice. [4]

Present courthouse

Courthouse interior Woodbury-interior2.jpg
Courthouse interior
Elevator Door Panel produced by Crown Iron Works Elevator Door Piece.jpg
Elevator Door Panel produced by Crown Iron Works

In 1914, the county determined that the courthouse was too small for the city and they decided to build a new one. The old courthouse was sold and the new one, designed by the Minneapolis architect George Grant Elmslie in collaboration with the Sioux City architect William L. Steele and Elmslie's partner, William Gray Purcell, was constructed from July 10, 1916 to March 1, 1918 at a cost of $850,000. This building is the current courthouse, located at the southeast corner of Douglas and Seventh Streets. It is a nearly square four story structure, built out of Roman brick, with granite and terra cotta trim elements. It has a 157-foot (48 m) eight-story tower, and features sculptural work by Alfonso Iannelli over its doors. The northern entrance features metal grillwork designed by Elmslie. The interior floors are marble, and the central rotunda features a glass mosaic drinking fountain in one wall. All ornamental metal work was produced by Crown Iron Works of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The interior murals were painted by John Norton of Chicago. [3]

In 1973, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996. [2] [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Prairie School Architectural style

Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands, integration with the landscape, solid construction, craftsmanship, and discipline in the use of ornament. Horizontal lines were thought to evoke and relate to the wide, flat, treeless expanses of America's native prairie landscape.

William Gray Purcell was a Prairie School architect in the Midwestern United States. He partnered with George Grant Elmslie, and briefly with George Feick. The firm of Purcell & Elmslie produced designs for buildings in twenty-two states, Australia, and China. The firm had offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Portland, Oregon.

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References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Woodbury County Courthouse". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  3. 1 2 3 Carolyn Pitts (November 8, 1994). "National Historic Landmark Nomination: Woodbury County Courthouse" (pdf). National Park Service.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 25 photos, exterior and interior, from 1993.  (6.23 MB)
  4. 1 2 Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 196. ISBN   0-87069-189-9.

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