Wood County Courthouse (West Virginia)

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Wood County Courthouse
Wood County Courthouse Parkersburg West Virginia.jpg
The Wood County Courthouse in 2006
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LocationCourt Sq. at 3rd and Market St., Parkersburg, West Virginia
Coordinates 39°15′53″N81°33′46″W / 39.26472°N 81.56278°W / 39.26472; -81.56278 Coordinates: 39°15′53″N81°33′46″W / 39.26472°N 81.56278°W / 39.26472; -81.56278
Area1.3 acres (0.53 ha)
Built1899
Built by Caldwell & Drake
Architect L. W. Thomas
Architectural style Romanesque Revival
NRHP reference No. 79002606 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 29, 1979

The Wood County Courthouse is a public building in downtown Parkersburg, West Virginia, in the United States. [2] The courthouse was built in 1899 at a cost of $100,000 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by local contractors Caldwell & Drake, according to the plans of architect L. W. Thomas of Canton, Ohio. [3] The current courthouse is the fifth to be built in the county replacing one built in 1860. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 for its architectural significance. [1] During his 1912 presidential campaign Theodore Roosevelt stopped in Parkersburg and spoke from the Market street entrence of the courthouse. On 2 July 2020 a new steeple was added to the bell tower replacing one that had been removed in 1952. With the new steeple the courthouse is now the tallest in the state at 164 ft. [4]

Contents

Wood County Courthouse in the 1970s after urban renewal projects in downtown. Wood County Courthouse (West Virginia) - HABS 174008pu.jpg
Wood County Courthouse in the 1970s after urban renewal projects in downtown.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "History, Wood County Courthouse". Wood County Courthouse. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  3. Gary J. Tucker (March 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Wood County Courthouse" (PDF). State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
  4. Dunlap, Brett. "New Wood County Courthouse steeple put in place". The Parkersburg News & Sentinel. Retrieved 2 July 2020.

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