Old Martin County Courthouse

Last updated
Old Martin County Court House
OldMartinCountyFlaCourthouse 012.JPG
Front (north) facade
USA Florida location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location80 SE Ocean Boulevard
Stuart, Florida
Coordinates 27°11′50″N80°15′03″W / 27.19724°N 80.25083°W / 27.19724; -80.25083
Arealess than one acre
Built1937
Architect L. Phillips Clarke; builder: Chalker & Lund
Architectural styleModern Movement, Art Deco
NRHP reference No. 97001329 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 07, 1997
Martin County Courthouse in 1969 Martin County Courthouse Florida 033.jpg
Martin County Courthouse in 1969
Front (north)entrance detail OldMartinCountyFlaCourthouse 010.JPG
Front (north)entrance detail
West side facade. In 1954 this side was covered by the construction of a west wing. A corner of the new courthouse is shown in the right center edge OldMartinCountyFlaCourthouse 013.JPG
West side facade. In 1954 this side was covered by the construction of a west wing. A corner of the new courthouse is shown in the right center edge
East side facade. In 1954 this side was covered by the construction of an east wing. OldMartinCountyFlaCourthouse 016.JPG
East side facade. In 1954 this side was covered by the construction of an east wing.

The Old Martin County Court House, built in 1937, 12 years after the erection and organization of Martin County (separated from the two adjacent counties to the north - St. Lucie County) and to the south - Palm Beach County), is a historic Art Deco style of architecture courthouse building located at 80 Southeast Ocean Boulevard in the county seat and largest town ofStuart, Martin County, Florida.

Contents

In 1989, it was listed in A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, published by the University of Florida Press. [2] On November 7, 1997, it was also added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, maintained by the National Park Service, of the United States Department of the Interior [1] On March 15, 2007, it was added to the Martin County Historic Register by the Martin County Historic Preservation Board. It is now known as the Courthouse Cultural Center and is the headquarters of the Arts Council, Inc., the designated local arts agency for Martin County.

Building history

The building was designed by local noted architect L. Phillips Clarke formerly of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and later West Palm Beach by the 1920s, with a prominent active firm / partnership of Harvey and Clarke which designed the landmark structure plus numerous other buildings in the South Florida region over several decades. It was constructed by Chalker & Lund of poured concrete walls with terrazzo floors in the Art Deco style of architecture popular in that era for the Federal Government's new agency and New Deal program to combat the mass unemployment and bad economic conditions of the worldwide Great Depression of the 1930s. The construction project was funded by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) during the early 32nd Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945, served 1933-1945). A later northern addition to the first Martin County courthouse, which had been built three decades before in 1908, and had been used as a Palm Beach County public school building and later renovated when converted to courthouse use after Martin County was created in 1925. [3] The four words, Martin County Court House, were prominently etched into the front of the addition, where they still remain. Because of this, both the National Register and the Cultural Center have retained the two-word spelling of "Court House" even though the one-word version is the current preferred one.

Seventeen years later in 1954, the growing county bought a building to the west that had been used as an automobile sales dealership by Web Ordway Ford and later as an A & P (Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company) grocery food store and converted it into a needed courthouse annex. At the same time, the county extended the original 1908 courthouse and the 1937 addition west to abut the annex and joined their hallways. The county also extended the 1937 addition and the old school house on the east side. Both of these 1954 additions were bland, modernistic utilitarian structures of no particular architectural merit.

Later when the county outgrew this assemblage of buildings, it decided to build a new courthouse and constitutional officers complex to the south of the original courthouse and to tear down the original courthouse, all additions and the annex. The City of Stuart, though, with much public support, prevailed on the county commission to save the 1937 addition and to use it as a cultural center. There was some sentiment to save the original schoolhouse building, but this was determined not to be feasible.

Resources

Related Research Articles

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

Martin County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,431. Its county seat is Stuart. Martin County is in the Port St. Lucie, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Colonial Revival architecture</span> Architectural style

The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. These styles flourished throughout the Americas, especially in former Spanish colonies, from California to Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami Beach Architectural District</span> U.S. historic district in Miami Beach, Florida

The Miami Beach Architectural District is a U.S. historic district located in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida. The area is well known as the district where Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace lived and was assassinated by Andrew Cunanan, in a mansion on Ocean Drive. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Sixth Street to the south, Alton Road to the west and the Collins Canal and Dade Boulevard to the north. It contains 960 historic buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyric Theatre (Stuart, Florida)</span> United States historic place

The Lyric Theatre is a historic theater located at 59 Southwest Flagler Avenue in downtown Stuart, Florida. The building fronts on its north side on Southwest Osceola Street. Built to serve as a movie house, it is now used primarily as a stage and music venue. Additions were made on the west side to provide back stage space for these new uses. The additions also face on both streets. On November 12, 1993, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Customs House and Post Office (Pensacola, Florida)</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Customs House and Post Office, also known as the Escambia County Courthouse, is a historic site in Pensacola, Florida. Built in 1887, it is located at 223 Palafox Place. On July 22, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dixie Court Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Dixie Court Hotel was a historic hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was designed by Harvey & Clarke and was built in 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old West Palm Beach National Guard Armory</span> United States historic place

The West Palm Beach Armory Art Center is a historic site in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 1703 South Lake Avenue. On June 11, 1992, it was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">August Geiger (architect)</span> American architect

August Geiger was one of the most prominent American architects in South Florida from 1905 to the late 1940s. He experimented in Mission, Neo-Renaissance and Art Deco architecture, but is most noted for his works in the Mediterranean Revival style. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

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

The Jefferson County Courthouse in Beaumont, Texas is one of the tallest courthouses in the state, and is an excellent example of Art Deco architecture. Built in 1931, it is the fourth courthouse built in Jefferson County. It was designed by Fred Stone and Augustin Babin, and is thirteen stories high. In 1981, an annex was added to the west side of the courthouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erie Federal Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Erie Federal Courthouse and Post Office, also known as Erie Federal Courthouse, in Erie, Pennsylvania, is a complex of buildings that serve as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and house other federal functions. The main courthouse building was built in 1937 in Moderne architecture style. It served historically as a courthouse, as a post office, and as a government office building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustav Maass (architect)</span> American architect

Gustav Adam Maass Jr. (1893–1964) was an American architect working primarily in the Mediterranean Revival style who designed public buildings and private homes in and around Palm Beach, Florida, from the 1920s until his death in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galveston United States Post Office and Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, also known as the Galveston Federal Building, is a post office and courthouse located in Galveston, Texas, United States. The building serves as the federal court for the Galveston Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Constructed in 1937, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 as Galveston U.S. Post Office, Custom House and Courthouse, the building is home a number of federal agencies, and at one point housed the Galveston Bureau of the National Weather Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Post Office and Courthouse (Meridian, Mississippi)</span> United States historic place

The United States Post Office and Courthouse in Meridian, Mississippi was built in 1933. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is a three-story limestone building built in a classical Art Deco style which was home to Meridian's main post office and a federal courthouse from its construction in 1933 until 2012 when the federal courthouse was closed due to budget cuts. The building itself is still open and still houses the post office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren County Courthouse (Iowa)</span> Courthouse in Iowa, United States

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.

Harvey and Clarke was an American architectural firm formed by Henry Stephen Harvey and L. Philips Clarke in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1921. The firm was active in South Florida for only a few years, but in that time designed a number of distinctive homes, apartments, churches, and commercial buildings. Harvey was a member of the West Palm Beach Planning Commission. An additional Firm member and staff was Gustav Maass, who designed several local railroad stations, and later became a noted South Florida architect in his own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Jacksonville</span>

The architecture of Jacksonville is a combination of historic and modern styles reflecting the city's early position as a regional center of business. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, there are more buildings built before 1967 in Jacksonville than any other city in Florida, though few structures in the city center predate the Great Fire of 1901. Numerous buildings in the city have held state height records, dating as far back as 1902, and last holding a record in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Deco in the United States</span> Architectural style popular in the 1920s-1930s

The Art Deco style, which originated in France just before World War I, had an important impact on architecture and design in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. The most notable examples are the skyscrapers of New York City, including the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center. It combined modern aesthetics, fine craftsmanship, and expensive materials, and became the symbol of luxury and modernity. While rarely used in residences, it was frequently used for office buildings, government buildings, train stations, movie theaters, diners and department stores. It also was frequently used in furniture, and in the design of automobiles, ocean liners, and everyday objects such as toasters and radio sets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Poinciana Way Historic District</span> Historic district in Florida, United States

The Royal Poinciana Way Historic District is a historic commerce and residential district in Palm Beach, Florida. The district is bounded by the area from 207-283 Royal Poinciana Way, 95-118 North County Road, and 184-280 Sunset Avenue, with some exceptions. There are 36 buildings within the district, 26 of which are considered contributing properties. The Royal Poinciana Way Historic District became a listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on September 17, 2015. A post office located at 95 North County Road has also been listed in the NRHP since 1983. Further, the town of Palm Beach considers the post office, Bradley House Hotel, and the Biltmore Apartments as town landmarks.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 137, ISBN   0-8130-0941-3
  3. Services – Office of Cultural & Historical Programs