Humboldt County Courthouse (Iowa)

Last updated
Humboldt County Courthouse
Humboldt County Courthouse (Dakota City, IA).jpg
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location203 Main St.
Dakota City, Iowa
Coordinates 42°43′21″N94°12′58″W / 42.72250°N 94.21611°W / 42.72250; -94.21611 Coordinates: 42°43′21″N94°12′58″W / 42.72250°N 94.21611°W / 42.72250; -94.21611
Area4.9 acres (2.0 ha)
Built1939
ArchitectDougher, Rich and Woodburn
Architectural style PWA Moderne/Art Deco
MPS PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA
NRHP reference No. 03000823 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 28, 2003

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. [1] The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Contents

History

Dakota City was established as the county seat in 1857, but a courthouse was not built until 1873. The two-story building was constructed for $5,000. [2] [3] Plans to build a new courthouse were defeated in 1923 when voters suspected plans to move the county seat to neighboring Humboldt. [4]

Plans for the current courthouse were approved in 1936. The Des Moines architectural firm of Dougher, Rich & Woodburn were retained to design the building. The county applied to the Public Works Administration, or PWA, to assist with the funding. The grant was approved in 1937. The contract to build the building was given to Holtze Construction Co. of Sioux City, Iowa. The cornerstone was laid on April 30, 1938, and the new building was dedicated on February 25, 1939. The courthouse was built for $185,000. [4] Iowa Supreme Court Justice Richard Mitchell delivered the main address at an open house.

Architecture

The courthouse is a rectangular structure that measures 105 by 66 feet (32 by 20 m). [5] The architectural style of the building is known as Depression Modern or PWA Moderne. [4] The building features a symmetrical façade. Two lower sections were designed to flank the main block, but were never built. [5] The exterior is composed of buff-colored brick and Bedford limestone trim. It is three stories tall and built on a raised basement. On the interior, the central corridors extend the length of the building, with the county offices opening onto the corridors. The building features multi-colored terrazzo floors, marble wainscoting and acoustic tiles. The courtroom was originally decorated in dark wood tones and Art Deco ornamentation. [4]

The building is located on the courthouse square immediately west of the central business district and just to the east of Humboldt. The previous courthouse was also located here. The square itself is a contributing site on the courthouse's nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, and the original flagpole in front of the building is a contributing object. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Woodbury County Courthouse United States historic place

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" and has been declared a National Historic Landmark for its architecture. It is used for legal proceedings in the county.

Buchanan County Courthouse (Iowa) 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.

Jones County Courthouse (Iowa) 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.

Marshall County Courthouse (Iowa) United States historic place

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.

Des Moines County Court House United States historic place

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.

Audubon County Court House United States historic place

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.

Warren County Courthouse (Iowa)

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 2021.

Bremer County Court House United States historic place

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.

Scott County Courthouse (Iowa)

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.

Allamakee County Court House 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.

Floyd County Courthouse (Iowa) 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.

Cass County Courthouse (Iowa) United States historic place

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.

Howard County Courthouse (Iowa) United States historic place

The Howard County Courthouse in Cresco, Iowa, United States was built in 1880. 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 third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Lucas County Courthouse (Iowa) United States historic place

The Lucas County Courthouse located in Chariton, Iowa, United States, was built in 1893. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 2014 it was included as a contributing property in the Lucas County Courthouse Square Historic District. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown Davenport, Iowa

This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. Downtown Davenport is defined as being all of the city south of 5th Street from Marquette Street east to the intersection of River Drive and East 4th Street. The locations of National Register properties and districts may be seen in an online map.

OBrien County Courthouse United States historic place

The O'Brien County Courthouse is located in Primghar, Iowa, United States. 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 building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

United States Courthouse (Des Moines) United States historic place

The United States Courthouse, located in Des Moines, Iowa, is the headquarters for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. It is part of the Civic Center Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Frank E. Wetherell (1869-1961) was an architect in the U.S. state of Iowa who worked during 1892–1931. He founded the second oldest architectural firm in the state in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1905. He worked with Roland Harrison in partnership Wetherell & Harrison. The firm designed numerous Masonic buildings.

PWA Moderne

PWA Moderne is an architectural style of many buildings in the United States completed between 1933 and 1944, during and shortly after the Great Depression as part of relief projects sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Marshalltown Downtown Historic District United States historic place

The Marshalltown Downtown Historic District is a historic district located in Marshalltown, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. At the time of its nomination it contained 96 resources, which included 79 contributing buildings, one contributing site, and 16 non-contributing buildings. The historic district covers most of the city's central business district. All of it is within the original town of Marshalltown, which was laid out and recorded on August 15, 1853, as the village of Marshall. Confusion with a town with the same name in Henry County led this village to be renamed Marshalltown in 1862. It was incorporated the following year.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Humboldt County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  3. ↑ Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 98. ISBN   0-87069-189-9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Marlys A. Svendsen. "PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA MPS". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  5. 1 2 3 Marlys A. Svendsen. "Humboldt County Courthouse". National Park Service . Retrieved 2018-10-22. with photos
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.