Jefferson County Courthouse (Birmingham, Alabama)

Last updated

Jefferson County Courthouse
Jefferson County Courthouse Birmingham Nov 2011 02.jpg
The courthouse in November 2011
Location Map USA Alabama Birmingham.png
Red pog.svg
USA Alabama location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location716 21st St., N, Birmingham, Alabama
Coordinates 33°31′16″N86°48′32″W / 33.52111°N 86.80889°W / 33.52111; -86.80889
Area2.3 acres (0.93 ha)
Built1929–1932
Architect Holabird and Root
Architectural style Art Deco
NRHP reference No. 82001606 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 27, 1982

The Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama is the main county courthouse of Jefferson County, Alabama. It is the county's sixth main courthouse building, and the third in Birmingham. The cornerstone was laid in 1929, and the building was completed in 1932. The prior courthouse was demolished in 1937. The new courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Contents

History

It was designed by Chicago architectural firm Holabird & Root, a very prominent Chicago firm that designed several early skyscrapers, Soldier Field, among many other great structures. [2] [3]

The courthouse's Art Deco design features limestone bas relief panels by sculptor Leo Friedlander depicting local history and the city's industrial influences, and also includes geometric designs resembling swastikas. [4] The lobby interior features large-scale painted murals by John W. Norton contrasting the "Old South" to the "New South."

The courthouse adjoins the Birmingham Public Library on the east side of Linn Park. It faces across to Birmingham's City Hall, which was completed in 1950. Other public buildings around the park, which serves as a "municipal plaza," include Boutwell Auditorium, the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Birmingham Board of Education Building. [5]

An International style annex, also dressed in limestone, was built in 1963–64. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson County, Alabama</span> County in Alabama, United States

Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, located in the central portion of the state. As of the 2020 census, its population was 674,721. Its county seat is Birmingham. Its rapid growth as an industrial city in the 20th century, based on heavy manufacturing in steel and iron, established its dominance. Jefferson County is the central county of the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birmingham, Alabama</span> Major city in Alabama, United States

Birmingham is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2022 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 232,000, up 2% from the 2020 Census, making it Alabama's most populous city. The broader Birmingham metropolitan area had a 2020 population of 1,115,289, and is the largest metropolitan area in Alabama as well as the 50th-most populous in the United States. Birmingham serves as an important regional hub and is associated with the Deep South, Piedmont, and Appalachian regions of the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bessemer, Alabama</span> City in Alabama, United States

Bessemer is a southwestern suburb of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. The population was 26,019 at the 2020 census. It is within the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, of which Jefferson County is the center. It developed rapidly as an industrial city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Birmingham District is a geological area in the vicinity of Birmingham, Alabama, where the raw materials for making steel, limestone, iron ore, and coal are found together in abundance. The district includes Red Mountain, Jones Valley, and the Warrior and Cahaba coal fields in Central Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Hill Cemetery (Birmingham, Alabama)</span> United States historic place

Oak Hill Cemetery, located just north of downtown, is Birmingham, Alabama's oldest cemetery. Originally 21.5 acres (87,000 m2) on the estate of James M. Ware, it was already a burial ground by April 1869 when it served as the resting place for the infant daughter of future mayor Robert H. Henley. It was marked as "City Cemetery" on the original plats for Birmingham laid out by the Elyton Land Company and was formally sold to the city on December 29, 1873 for the sum of $1,073.50.

Jefferson County Courthouse or variation prefaced with Old may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville City Hall</span> United States historic place

Louisville City Hall is a registered historic building in Louisville, Kentucky, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Completed in 1873 to house the Louisville city government, the structure is located at 601 West Jefferson Street in what became Downtown Louisville, the center of the city's civic district.

Adger is an unincorporated crossroads community in Jefferson County, Alabama, southwest of Birmingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montgomery County Circuit Courthouses</span> Historic district in Maryland, United States

The Montgomery County Courthouse Historic District, designated in 1986, includes several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Rockville, Maryland. The two-block district is focused on what remains of Rockville's old commercial, governmental, and residential center, most of which was demolished during urban renewal in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loveman's of Alabama</span>

Loveman's of Alabama was a Birmingham, Alabama-based chain of department stores with locations across Alabama. It adopted this name to distinguish it from Loveman's department stores operating in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and in Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse is a United States federal building in Montgomery, Alabama, completed in 1933 and primarily used as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. The building is also known as United States Post Office and Courthouse—Montgomery and listed under that name on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1992, it was renamed by the United States Congress in honor of Frank Minis Johnson, who had served as both a district court judge and a court of appeals judge. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2015.

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

The United States Courthouse, also known as the Federal Building, is a historic building located in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has historically housed a post office, courthouse, and other offices of the United States government. The building now serves only as a federal courthouse, housing operations of the eastern division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In 2018, the operations of the Rock Island division of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois were also moved there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> 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.

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

The Linn County Courthouse is located on May's Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It, along with the Veterans Memorial Building and two other buildings, is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Archibald Campbell United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The John Archibald Campbell United States Courthouse, also known as the United States Court House and Custom House, is a historic courthouse and former custom house in Mobile, Alabama. It was completed in 1935. An addition to the west was completed in 1940. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Bank (Huntsville, Alabama)</span> United States historic place

The First National Bank is a historic bank building in Huntsville, Alabama. The temple-form Greek Revival structure was built in 1835–1836. Designed by locally famous architect George Steele, it occupies a prominent position, facing the courthouse square and sitting on a bluff directly above the Big Spring. It was the longest-serving bank building in Alabama, operating until 2010 when Regions Bank moved their downtown branch to a new location. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Courthouse (Austin, Texas, 1936)</span> Historic structure in Austin, Texas

The Austin United States Courthouse is a historic former federal courthouse in downtown Austin, Texas. Built between 1935 and 1936, the building exemplifies Depression-era Moderne architecture, while Art Moderne and Art Deco finishes characterize the interior. It housed the Austin division of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and other judicial offices until 2012, when a new federal courthouse building was completed. Since 2016 the building has been owned by Travis County, and it has housed the county probate courts since 2020. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Bessemer Historic District</span> United States historic place

The Downtown Bessemer Historic District, in Bessemer, Alabama, is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The listing included 70 contributing buildings on 26 acres (11 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbus Landmarks</span> Historic preservation foundation in Ohio

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation, known as Columbus Landmarks, is a nonprofit historic preservation organization in Columbus, Ohio. The foundation is best-known for its list of endangered sites in the city and its annual design award, given to buildings, landscapes, and other sites created or renovated in Columbus. It was established in 1977 as a project of the Junior League of Columbus, Ohio, following the demolition of the city's historic Union Station. It is headquartered at 57 Jefferson Avenue, a contributing structure in the Jefferson Avenue Historic District in Downtown Columbus.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Bowsher, Alice M. (July 28, 1982). "Jefferson County Courthouse". National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form. National Park Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.See also: "Accompanying photos". Archived (PDF) from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  3. Marjorie Longenecker White (1977) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham Historical Society
  4. Beverly Crider (May 25, 2012). "Swastikas on the JeffCo Courthouse have more to do with prosperity than Hitler". AL.com.
  5. Campbell, Cathryn S. (1989). "A History of Central - Capitol - Woodrow Wilson - Linn Park". In Morris, Philip A.; White, Marjorie Longenecker (eds.). Designs on Birmingham: A Landscape History of a Southern City and Its Suburbs. Birmingham Historical Society. pp. 54–59. ISBN   0-943994-14-4.
  6. "Jefferson County Alabama: County Facility Locations" . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  7. "The 10th Judicial Circuit - Jefferson County, Birmingham and Bessemer Divisions". State of Alabama Unified Judicial System. Retrieved July 17, 2019.