Woodbury County Courthouse

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Woodbury County Courthouse
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Woodbury County Courthouse
Woodbury County Courthouse
Location: 620 Douglas Street, Sioux City, Iowa
Coordinates: 42°29′49.77″N 96°24′19.89″W / 42.4971583, -96.405525Coordinates: 42°29′49.77″N 96°24′19.89″W / 42.4971583, -96.405525
Built/Founded: 1918
Architect: Purcell & Elmslie
Architectural style(s): Prairie School
Designated as NHL: June 19, 1996[1]
Added to NRHP: December 18, 1973[2]
NRHP Reference#: 73000744
MPS: County Courthouses in Iowa TR (AD)
Governing body: Local

The Woodbury County Courthouse is a building that fills an entire quarter block in Sioux City, Iowa. It is regarded as "one of the finest Prairie School buildings in the United States"[3] and has been declared a National Historic Landmark. It is used for legal proceedings in the county.

Contents

[edit] First Courthouses

Though Sioux City was made the county seat in 1858, the first permanent Woodbury County courthouse was not finished until 1878. It was designed by Des Moines architect William L. Foster and built by brothers Charles E. Hedges and Daniel T. Hedges for $75,000.

[edit] Second Courthouse

In 1914, the county determined that the courthouse was too small for the city and they decided to build a new one. The old courthouse was sold and the new one, designed by the Minneapolis architects George Grant Elmslie and William Gray Purcell in collaboration with the Sioux City architect William LaBarthe Steele, was constructed from July 10, 1916 to March 1, 1918 at a cost of $850,000. This building is the current courthouse. It is made of Roman brick and granite. It also has a 157-foot-tall tower on top of the building and has sculptures over its doors. In 1973, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996.[1][3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Woodbury County Courthouse. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
  2. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  3. ^ a b Carolyn Pitts (November 8, 1994), National Historic Landmark Nomination: Woodbury County CourthousePDF (112 KiB), National Park Service  and Accompanying 25 photos, exterior and interior, from 1993.PDF (3.41 MiB)

1. http://www.iowacounties.org

[edit] External links

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