Johnson County Courthouse (Iowa)

	Johnson County Courthouse
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	S. Clinton St.; Iowa City, Iowa
Coordinates	41°39′22″N91°32′7″W / 41.65611°N 91.53528°W
Built	1899–1901
Architect	Rush, Bowman and Rush
Architectural style	Richardsonian Romanesque ; Shingle Style
MPS	County Courthouses in Iowa TR
NRHP reference No.	75000692
Added to NRHP	March 27, 1975

Last updated February 01, 2025

The Johnson County Courthouse in Iowa City, Iowa, the county seat of Johnson County, United States, was completed in 1901; it was the second courthouse to stand at this location. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

History

Johnson County's first courthouse was a two-story frame structure built in 1838 in Napoleon. After the county seat was moved to Iowa City a 56-by-28-foot (17.1 by 8.5 m), two-story brick courthouse, was completed in 1842.^[2] A jail was built at the same time. The first courthouse built on the present courthouse square was built about 1856, but the records are unclear as to its specifications.^[3] In 1875 a suggestion was made that the courthouse should be donated to the University of Iowa, and the city and county would build a joint facility. The measure was to be put to the voters, but it never appeared on a ballot. By 1897 cracks were detected on the south wall, endangering the structure and the records it housed. Construction on the present courthouse began in 1899. The building was completed in 1901 for approximately $111,000.^[2] Its slate roof was damaged in a 2006 tornado.

Architecture

A. William Rush of the Grand Rapids, Michigan architectural firm of Rush, Bowman and Rush designed the building. The courthouse was built on a square south of the central business district with a commanding view of the surrounding area.^[4] It is notable for its fine Berea sandstone exterior carvings and interior stained glass domes. Stylistically, it features characteristics of three architectural trends from the era it was built: the arched openings and massiveness of the Richardsonian Romanesque; the vegetal ornamentation of Louis Sullivan above the main entrance; and the voluminous geometric massing of the Shingle Style.^[4] The central tower rises out of the rectangular-plan building. The irregular roofline is composed of conical roofs, turrets and the step gables of the end pavilions.

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References

↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
1 2 "Johnson County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
↑ Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 110. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.
1 2 Alan L. Rossmann. "Johnson County Courthouse". National Park Service . Retrieved December 28, 2015. with photos

External links

Media related to Johnson County Courthouse (Iowa) at Wikimedia Commons

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[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[iowacourts-2] 1 2 "Johnson County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved December 28, 2015.

[Stanek-3] Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 110. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.

[Rossmann-4] 1 2 Alan L. Rossmann. "Johnson County Courthouse". National Park Service . Retrieved December 28, 2015. with photos

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List of counties in Iowa ♦ List of county courthouses in Iowa

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Iowa City, Iowa
Apartment buildings	Summit Apartment Building
Civic buildings	First Johnson County Asylum Johnson County Courthouse Old Capitol Old Post Office
Clubhouses	Czecho Slovakian Association Hall
Commercial buildings	Boerner-Fry Company/Davis Hotel Bowery Street Grocery Store College Block Building Economy Advertising Company Franklin Printing House Johnson County Savings Bank Park House Hotel Paul–Helen Building Union Bakery
Historic districts	Brown Street Historic District College Green Historic District East College Street Historic District Gilbert-Linn Street Historic District Iowa City Downtown Historic District (Ped Mall) Jefferson Street Historic District Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum Historic District Longfellow Historic District Melrose Historic District Muscatine Avenue Moffitt Cottage Historic District Pentacrest South Summit Street District Woodlawn Historic District
Houses	Ned Ashton House Charles Berryhill House Billingsley-Hills House Albert J. and Alice E. Borts House William Bostick House Dr. Albert Henry Byfield House Wilbur D. and Hattie Cannon House Thomas C. Carson House Cavanaugh-Zetek House Clark House Close House Arthur Hillyer Ford House Emma J. Harvat and Mary E. Stach House Iowa Federation Home for Colored Girls Jackson-Swisher House and Carriage House Sylvanus Johnson House Kirkwood House Letovsky-Rohret House Linsay House James McCollister Farmstead Nicking House Oakes-Wood House Old Settlers' Association of Johnson County Cabins Plum Grove A.W. Pratt House F.X. Rittenmeyer House Rose Hill St. Mary's Rectory Schindhelm-Drews House Bohumil Shimek House Sigma Pi Fraternity House Tate Arms Vogt House Jacob Wentz House Isaac A. Wetherby House Windrem House
Industrial buildings	Hawthorne Glove and Novelty Company-Shrader Drug Company Building Union Brewery
Religious buildings	Bethel AME Church Congregational Church of Iowa City First Unitarian Church North Presbyterian Church St. Mary's Church and Rectory Trinity Episcopal Church
Theatres	Englert Theatre
Transportation	Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Station
National Register of Historic Places listings in Johnson County, Iowa List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa