Built 1906 NRHP Reference # 76000733 Phone +1 319-472-5211 Added to NRHP 8 October 1976 | Built by George Rickman & Sons Opened 1906 Architectural style Beaux-Arts architecture Architect Charles E. Bell | |
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Location E. 4th St.
Vinton, Iowa MPS County Courthouses in Iowa TR Address 111 E 4th St, Vinton, IA 52349, USA Similar Ida County Courthouse, Allamakee County Court Ho, Buena Vista County C, Dallas County Courthouse, Herring Hotel | ||
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. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
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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.
Architecture
Designed by Bell & Detweiler of Minneapolis, the Beaux Arts style building features a 112-foot (34 m) central tower. It contains a four-faced illuminated clock, a 1,500-pound (680 kg) B-flat bell and is topped with a dome. The exterior of the building is clad in Buckeye gray sandstone.