Linn County Courthouse (Iowa)
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Linn County Courthouse | |
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| Location |
May’s Island Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 41°58′54″N 91°40′10″W / 41.98167°N 91.66944°WCoordinates: 41°58′54″N 91°40′10″W / 41.98167°N 91.66944°W |
| Built | 1923-1925 |
| Architect | Joseph Royer |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Part of | May's Island Historic District (#78001240[1]) |
| Added to NRHP | October 19, 1978 |
The Linn County Courthouse is located on May’s Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It, along with the Veterans Memorial Building, is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1] The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
History
The county’s first courthouse was built for $40,000 in 1842 in Marion.[2][3] The building was two-stories tall and constructed of brick. As Cedar Rapids vied for Marion to be the county seat a second courthouse was built in Marion in 1855. Cedar Rapids deeded a plot of land to the county for a courthouse in 1919. Even though voters failed to support a $1.3 million bond referendum to build the courthouse the board of supervisors continued to plan for a new building.[2] In 1922 voters passed a smaller bond referendum.
The present courthouse was designed by Urbana, Illinois architect Joseph Royer in the Beaux-Arts style.[4] It was completed in 1925 for just under $500,000.[3] Royer also designed the former county jail that sat behind the courthouse. The buildings sustained damage from the Iowa flood of 2008.
Architecture
The Linn County Courthouse is a three-story Bedford stone structure built on a granite foundation.[4] The building consists of a main block flanked by two short wings. Classical elements are found in the full entablature and the protruding, nine-bay entrance porch. Ten fluted columns in the Ionic order support the entablature and parapet. Decorative stone panels separate two floors of windows. A stone balustrade surrounds the terrace, and balconies on the first floor windows flank the entrance pavilion. The side elevations and the rear of the building provide a simpler appearance, but the cornice surrounds most of the building. The interior walls were built of travertine and marble covers the floors.
References
- 1 2 Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- 1 2 "Linn County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- 1 2 Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 120. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.
- 1 2 "May's Island Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
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