Pottawattamie County Courthouse (Iowa)

Last updated
Pottawattamie County Courthouse
Pottawattamie County IA Courthouse.jpg
Pottawattamie County Courthouse
General information
TypeCourthouse
Architectural style Modern
Address227 S. 6th St.
Town or city Council Bluffs, Iowa
Country United States
Coordinates 41°15′27″N95°51′09″W / 41.257393°N 95.852487°W / 41.257393; -95.852487
Construction started1977
Completed1978
Technical details
Floor countFive
Design and construction
Architecture firmHollis & Miller
Main contractorA. Borchman Sons Co.

The Pottawattamie County Courthouse is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. It is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Council Bluffs, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and forms part of the Omaha (Nebr.) Metropolitan Area. It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, across from the city of Omaha. Council Bluffs was known, until at least 1853, as Kanesville. It was the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Kanesville is also the northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails, since there was a steam powered boat to ferry their wagons, and cattle, across the Missouri River.

Contents

History

1888 courthouse EAST (FRONT) ELEVATION FROM SOUTHEAST - Pottawattamie County Courthouse, Pearl Street and Fifth Avenue, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, IA HABS IOWA,78-COUB,4-3 (cropped).jpg
1888 courthouse

The first building used for a courthouse was a building owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [1] It was a large two-story log structure on South First Street. The county then rented space for their use until a courthouse was completed in 1868. The property had been acquired two years previous with construction starting the same year. County offices were located on the first floor, court functions on the second, and a jail was located in the basement. That structure became unsafe and was replaced by a stone Beaux Arts-style building in 1888. Voters gave their approval of the project on March 10, 1885. The county rented space in the Masonic Temple during construction. The building was constructed for $141,800. [2] It too became unsafe and it was replaced by the present Modernist structure in 1977.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nontrinitarian Christian restorationist church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian, Christian restorationist church that is considered by its members to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 16 million members and 65,000 full-time volunteer missionaries. In 2012, the National Council of Churches ranked the church as the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States, with over 6.5 million members reported by the church, as of January 2018. It is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening.

Beaux-Arts architecture expresses the academic neoclassical architectural style

Beaux-Artsarchitecture was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorporated Gothic and Renaissance elements, and used modern materials, such as iron and glass. It was an important style in France until the end of the 19th century. It also had a strong influence on architecture in the United States, because of the many prominent American architects who studied at the Beaux-Arts, including Henry Hobson Richardson, John Galen Howard, Daniel Burnham, and Louis Sullivan.

Modern architecture broad type of architecture

Modern architecture, or modernist architecture was based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel and reinforced concrete; the idea that form should follow function; an embrace of minimalism; and a rejection of ornament. It emerged in the first half of the 20th century and became dominant after World War II until the 1980s, when it was gradually replaced as the principal style for institutional and corporate buildings by postmodern architecture.

The five-story brick structure was designed by Hollis and Miller and built by A. Borchman Sons Company. Vertical brick piers divide the building into bays on the lower floors. They are composed of white concrete. The main entrance is recessed on the east elevation. It is located on the same square as the two previous courthouses.

Bay (architecture) space defined by the vertical piers, in a building

In architecture, a bay is the space between architectural elements, or a recess or compartment. Bay comes from Old French baee, meaning an opening or hole.

Related Research Articles

Webster County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Webster County Courthouse is a historic building in Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States. Built in 1902, it primarily houses local government offices for Webster County. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and as a contributing property in the Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District in 2010.

Buchanan County Court House (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)

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.

Clinton County Courthouse (Iowa)

Clinton County Courthouse is located in Clinton, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1897 and added to the National Register of Historic Places July 2, 1981, as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. It is the fourth courthouse that has been used by the county.

Madison County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Madison County Courthouse is located in Winterset, 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. It was included as a contributing property in the Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District in 2015. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Des Moines County Court House historic courthouse in Burlington, Iowa, USA

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.

Bremer County Court House

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.

Floyd County Courthouse (Iowa)

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.

Polk County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Polk County Courthouse located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, was built in 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 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.

Mahaska County Courthouse

The Mahaska County Courthouse located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States, was built in 1886. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 1986 it was included as a contributing property in the Oskaloosa City Square Commercial Historic District. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Taylor County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Taylor County Courthouse in Bedford, Iowa, United States, was built in 1892. 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 was the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Benton County Courthouse (Iowa) courthouse in Vinton, Benton County, Iowa

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.

Decatur County Courthouse (Iowa)

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.

Hardin County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Hardin County Courthouse, located in Eldora, Iowa, United States, was built in 1892. The courthouse is the third building to house court functions and county administration. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. In 2010 it was included as a contributing property in the Eldora Downtown Historic District.

Harrison County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Harrison County Courthouse, located in Logan, Iowa, United States, was built in 1911. 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 fifth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Ida County Courthouse

The Ida County Courthouse, located in Ida Grove, Iowa, United States, was built in 1883. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 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.

Cedar County Courthouse (Iowa) building in Iowa, United States

The Cedar County Courthouse is located in Tipton, Iowa, United States. The present courthouse is the third structure the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Cherokee County Courthouse (Iowa) building in Cherokee, Iowa, United States

The Cherokee County Courthouse is located in Cherokee, Iowa, United States. The courthouse is the third structure to house court functions and county administration.

Dickinson County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Dickinson County Courthouse is located in Spirit Lake, Iowa, United States. Built in two phases in 2006 and 2009, it is the fourth building to house court functions and county administration.

Story County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Story County Courthouse, also known as the Story County Justice Center, is located in Nevada, Iowa, United States. It is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

References

  1. ↑ Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 162. ISBN   0-87069-189-9.
  2. ↑ "Pottawattamie County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2015-12-13.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Pottawattamie County Courthouse at Wikimedia Commons


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.