Benton County Courthouse (Iowa)
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Benton County Courthouse | |
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| Location |
E. 4th St. Vinton, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 42°10′5″N 92°1′25″W / 42.16806°N 92.02361°WCoordinates: 42°10′5″N 92°1′25″W / 42.16806°N 92.02361°W |
| Built | 1906 |
| Built by | George Rickman & Sons |
| Architect | Bell & Detweiler |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| MPS | County Courthouses in Iowa TR |
| NRHP Reference # | 76000733 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 8, 1976 |
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.[1] The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
History
Benton County’s first courthouse was a log structure, but it did not have a roof or floor, so the court met in a log home during inclement weather. Because of a dispute over the location of the county seat the second courthouse stood unfinished until 1852, and was destroyed by fire the following year. The county’s third courthouse was built at a cost of $13,000 and dedicated in December 1856. The present courthouse was completed in 1906 for $105,000.[2]
Architecture
Designed by Bell & Detweiler of Minneapolis,[3] the Beaux Arts style building features a 112-foot (34 m) central tower.[4] It contains a four-faced illuminated clock, a 1,500-pound (680 kg) B-flat bell and is topped with a dome.[2] The exterior of the building is clad in Buckeye gray sandstone.
References
- 1 2 Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- 1 2 "Benton County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
- ↑ Improvement Bulletin 22 July 1905: 16.
- ↑ Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 18. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.
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