Suvarna Garge (Editor)

Dallas County Courthouse (Iowa)

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Location
  
Town Square Adel, Iowa

NRHP Reference #
  
73000723

Phone
  
+1 515-993-5816

Added to NRHP
  
26 November 1973

Built
  
1902

Opened
  
1902

Architecture firm
  
Proudfoot & Bird

Dallas County Courthouse (Iowa)

Architectural style
  
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals

Part of
  
Adel Public Square Historic District (#09000106)

MPS
  
County Courthouses in Iowa TR

Address
  
Dallas County, 801 Court St, Adel, IA 50003, USA

Hours
  
Closed now Wednesday8AM–4:30PMThursday8AM–4:30PMFriday8AM–4:30PMSaturdayClosedSundayClosedMonday8AM–4:30PMTuesday8AM–4:30PM

Similar
  
Adair County Courthouse, Pottawattamie County Courthouse, Osceola County Courthouse, Humboldt County Courthouse, Ida County Courthouse

The Dallas County Courthouse in Adel, Iowa, United States was built in 1902. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and is a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 2009 it was included as a contributing property in the Adel Public Square Historic District. The current structure is the fourth building to house court functions and county administration.

Contents

History

Dallas County’s first courthouse was a cabin constructed of cottonwood logs and served the county from 1848-1853. Leaders constructed a second courthouse that served for five years when they constructed a third facility. It was a two-story brick structure measuring 64 by 42 feet (20 m × 13 m), and was built for $20,000. In November 1900, county voters authorized $85,000 to construct the current courthouse. It is four-floors and was dedicated in September 1902.

Architecture

The courthouse, designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird, was modeled on a French castle and cost $109,243. It is constructed of Bedford stone and features a 128-foot (39 m) tower housing a $1,000 clock. Statues of the goddess of Justice flank the main entrance. A renovation project began in 2005 to deal with structural issues has restored of the rotunda and also addressed cosmetic concerns such as repainting interior spaces in their original color schemes and installing new light fixtures to match the wrought iron of the Grand Stair Case. The final stage of the project is an $80,000 restoration of the artwork on the ceiling.

References

Dallas County Courthouse (Iowa) Wikipedia