Built 1939 Opened 1939 Added to NRHP 28 August 2003 | NRHP Reference # 03000823 Area 2 ha Architectural styles Art Deco, PWA Moderne | |
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Location 203 Main St.
Dakota City, Iowa MPS PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Similar Osceola County Courthouse, Buena Vista County C, Ida County Courthouse, Chickasaw County Courthouse, Tama County Courthouse | ||
The Humboldt County Courthouse is a courthouse in Dakota City, Iowa, United States, the county seat of Humboldt County, which dates from 1939. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
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History
Dakota City was established as the county seat in 1857, but a courthouse was not built until 1873. The two-story building was constructed for $5,000. Plans to build a new courthouse were defeated in 1923 when voters suspected plans to move the county seat to Humboldt.
Plans for the current courthouse were approved in 1936. The Des Moines architectural firm of Dougher, Rich & Woodburn were retained to design the building. The county applied to the Public Works Administration, or PWA, to assist with the funding. The grant was approved in 1937. The contract to build the building was given to Holtze Construction Co. of Sioux City, Iowa. The cornerstone was laid on April 30, 1938, and the new building was dedicated on February 25, 1939. The courthouse was built for $185,000. Iowa Supreme Court Justice Richard Mitchell delivered the main address at an open house.
Architecture
The architectural style of the building is known as Depression Modern or PWA Moderne. The building features a symmetrical façade with a central section that is flanked by two lower sections. The exterior is composed of buff colored brick and Bedford limestone trim. It is three-stories tall and built on a raised basement. On the interior the central corridors extend the length of the building with the county offices opening onto the corridors. The building features multi-colored terrazzo floors, marble wainscoting and acoustic tiles. The court room was originally decorated in dark wood tones and Art Deco ornamentation.