Cerro Gordo County Courthouse (Iowa)

Cerro Gordo County Courthouse
Cerro Gordo County Courthouse
	Cerro Gordo County Courthouse
General information
Type	Courthouse
Architectural style	Modern
Address	220 N. Washington Ave.
Town or city	Mason City, Iowa
Country	United States
Coordinates	43°09′15″N93°12′11″W / 43.154250°N 93.203170°W
Technical details
Floor count	Three
Other information
Public transit access	Mason City Transit

Last updated July 25, 2023

The Cerro Gordo County Courthouse is located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. The courthouse is the fourth structure to house court functions and county administration.

History

When Cerro Gordo County was created in 1855 Mason City was selected to be the county seat. Dissatisfaction in the western part of the county led the Iowa General Assembly to appoint three new commissioners who would move the county seat to a site they called Livonia, which was near Clear Lake. A courthouse was built there, and some of the county records were moved in the winter of 1857. County officials reluctantly followed. A petition signed by over half of the citizens of the county requested that the county seat be moved back to Mason City, and it was the first business before the court. Mason City won a referendum in 1858 to decide the matter 155-48. There is nothing left in what was Livonia to remind people of its brief existence.^[1]

Two courthouses have stood in Mason City prior to the present Modernist structure that was occupied by the county in 1960. The first was located across the street from Central Park. The courtroom was on the second floor, while the first floor housed various county offices. By 1880 the county had outgrown the building and plans were made to construct a new one. Referendums to build it were defeated in 1880, 1881, and 1882. Concerns were raised over the security of county records as the building became dilapidated. Construction for the large Bedford stone courthouse would not begin until 1899. The two-story Romanesque Revival-style structure was built over a raised basement. It featured a central clock tower and was completed for $64,000.^[1] The security of county records again became an issue by the late 1950s. A new courthouse was expected to cost $1.5 million.^[1] The county decided to save money and acquired the Standard Oil Building in 1959 for $159,400.^[2] They remodeled it for their use and added an addition using the remainder of the $750,000 bond issue.

Related Research Articles

Cerro Gordo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,127. Its county seat is Mason City. The county is named for the Battle of Cerro Gordo, which took place during the Mexican–American War.

The Dubuque County Courthouse is located on Central Avenue, between 7th and 8th Streets, in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The current structure was built from 1891 to 1893 to replace an earlier building. These are believed to be the only two structures to house the county courts and administrative offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buchanan County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> Historic building in Independence, Iowa, US

Buchanan County Court House in Independence, Iowa, United States was built in 1940. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. The current structure is the third courthouse to house court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jones County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Jones County Courthouse in Anamosa, Iowa, United States was built in 1937. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as the "Jones County Court House." It is a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission, and is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chickasaw County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Chickasaw County Courthouse is a historic governmental building located at 8 East Prospect Street in New Hampton, Iowa, United States. On July 2, 1981, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse is the fourth structure to house court functions and county administration.

The Humboldt County Courthouse is located in Dakota City, Iowa, United States, and dates from 1939. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

The Marshall County Courthouse is located in Marshalltown, Iowa, United States. The current building was completed in 1886 to replace an earlier building. The courthouse is a dominant landmark in downtown Marshalltown. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In 2002 it was listed as a contributing property in the Marshalltown Downtown Historic District. It is the third building the county has used for a courthouse and county business.

The Des Moines County Court House located in Burlington, Iowa, United States, was built in 1940. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of Iowa Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the fourth structure to house court functions and county administration.

The Audubon County Court House is located in the county seat of Audubon, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

The Warren County Courthouse is located in Indianola, Iowa, United States. The courthouse that was built in 1939 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. It was the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. The building was demolished in the summer of 2019 and removed from the NRHP in September of the same year. A new courthouse and justice center is expected to be completed in 2022.

The Bremer County Court House in Waverly, Iowa, United States, was built in 1937. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

The Scott County Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa, United States was built from 1955 to 1956 and extensively renovated over a ten-year period between 1998 and 2009. It is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. It is part of a larger county complex that includes the county jail, administration building and juvenile detention facility. In 2020 the courthouse was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allamakee County Court House</span> United States historic place

The Allamakee County Court House in Waukon, Iowa, United States was built in 1940. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floyd County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Floyd County Court House in Charles City, Iowa, United States was built in 1940. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. It is the only property in this group, however, that was built without funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). The courthouse is the third structure to house court functions and county administration.

The Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic, Iowa, United States, was built in 1934 as the first courthouse in the state built with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of Iowa Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the third structure to house court functions and county administration.

The Mitchell County Courthouse in Osage, Iowa, United States, was built in 2015. The former courthouse, built in stages between 1858 and 1926, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

The Benton County Courthouse, located in Vinton, Iowa, United States, was built in 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

The Calhoun County Courthouse, located in Rockwell City, Iowa, United States, was built in 1914. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth structure to house court functions and county administration.

The Decatur County Courthouse, located in Leon, Iowa, United States, was built in 1908. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the sixth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

The Delaware County Courthouse, located in Manchester, Iowa, United States, was built in 1894. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The current structure is the fourth building to house court functions and county administration.

References

1 2 3 Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 40. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.
↑ "Cerro Gordo County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2015-12-13.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Stanek-1] 1 2 3 Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 40. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.

[iowa-2] "Cerro Gordo County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2015-12-13.

[1]

[2]

v t e County courthouses in Iowa
Adair Adams Allamakee Appanoose Audubon Benton Black Hawk Boone Bremer Buchanan Buena Vista Butler Calhoun Carroll Cass Cedar Cerro Gordo Cherokee Chickasaw Clarke Clay Clayton Clinton Crawford Dallas Davis Decatur Delaware Des Moines Dickinson Dubuque Emmet Fayette Floyd Franklin Fremont Greene Grundy Guthrie Hamilton Hancock Hardin Harrison Henry Howard Humboldt Ida Iowa Jackson Jasper Jefferson Johnson Jones Keokuk Kossuth Lee (North), (South) Linn Louisa Lucas Lyon Madison Mahaska Marion Marshall Mills Mitchell Monona Monroe Montgomery Muscatine O'Brien Osceola Page Palo Alto Plymouth Pocahontas Polk Pottawattamie Poweshiek Ringgold Sac Scott Shelby Sioux Story Tama Taylor Union Van Buren Wapello Warren Washington Wayne Webster Winnebago Winneshiek Woodbury Worth Wright		Iowa portal
List of counties in Iowa ♦ List of county courthouses in Iowa