Ringgold County Courthouse

Ringgold County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Interactive map showing the location for Ringgold County Courthouse
Location	Madison St. Mount Ayr, Iowa
Coordinates	40°42′46″N94°14′26″W / 40.71278°N 94.24056°W / 40.71278; -94.24056
Area	less than one acre
Built	1926–1927
Built by	L.T. Grisman Company
Architect	Keffer & Jones
Architectural style	Classical Revival
MPS	County Courthouses in Iowa TR
NRHP reference No.	81000267 [1]
Added to NRHP	July 2, 1981

The Ringgold County Courthouse in Mount Ayr, Iowa, United States, was built in 1927. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. ^[1] The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

History

The first Ringgold County courthouse was a log structure constructed in 1856. It was destroyed in a tornado two years later, and the logs were salvaged for use in a new house. A frame building was constructed for the second courthouse and the county paid $3,500 to have it built. ^[2] It was two stories and measured 60 by 20 feet (18.3 by 6.1 m). ^[3] The third courthouse was under construction when it was destroyed in a fire on Thanksgiving Day 1889. The new courthouse was a brick and stone building that was built for $36,455. The 2½-story structure measured 96 by 77 feet (29 by 23 m) and had a central tower that rose 102 feet (31 m). ^[3] That building was condemned in 1921. It was given, along with $500 to a house wrecker to be torn down. Voters approved a new courthouse in 1926. The three-story brick building measures 91 by 86 feet (28 by 26 m) and was built at a cost of $132,533. ^[2] It was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Keffer & Jones and built by the L.T. Grisman Company.

Architecture

The courthouse is considered a "budget classical" building by which the structure's Beaux-Arts and Neoclassical design elements are stripped to a minimal form. ^[4] The building becomes more utilitarian than imaginatively expressed. The three-story building is composed of red brick and concrete. Stone trim runs horizontally between the first and second floors and above the third floor where there is also a projecting stone cornice. The building is capped with a flat roof. The significance of the courthouse is derived from its association with county government, and the political power and prestige of Mount Ayr as the county seat. ^[4]

See also

• The former Ringgold County Jail is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "Ringgold County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
3. Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 166. ISBN   0-87069-189-9.
4. M.H. Bowers. "Ringgold County Courthouse". National Park Service . Retrieved 2015-12-30. with photo from 1979