Built 1918 NRHP Reference # 73000744 | Architectural style Prairie School | |
 | ||
Location 620 Douglas Street, Sioux City, Iowa Architect George Grant Elmslie,
William L. Steele,
William Gray Purcell MPS County Courthouses in Iowa TR (AD) | ||
The Woodbury County Courthouse is located at 620 Douglas Street in Sioux City, the county seat of Woodbury County, Iowa. It is regarded as "one of the finest Prairie School buildings in the United States" and has been declared a National Historic Landmark for its architecture. It is used for legal proceedings in the county.
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First courthouse
Though Sioux City was made the county seat in 1858, the first permanent Woodbury County courthouse was not finished until 1878. It was designed by Des Moines architect William L. Foster and built by brothers Charles E. Hedges and Daniel T. Hedges for $75,000.
Second courthouse
In 1914, the county determined that the courthouse was too small for the city and they decided to build a new one. The old courthouse was sold and the new one, designed by the Minneapolis architect George Grant Elmslie in collaboration with the Sioux City architect William L. Steele and Elmslie's partner, William Gray Purcell, was constructed from July 10, 1916 to March 1, 1918 at a cost of $850,000. This building is the current courthouse, located at the southeast corner of Douglas and Seventh Streets. It is a nearly square four story structure, built out of Roman brick, with granite and terra cotta trim elements. It has a 157-foot (48 m) eight-story tower, and features sculptural work by Alfonso Iannelli over its doors. The northern entrance features metal grillwork designed by Elmslie. The interior floors are marble, and the central rotunda features a glass mosaic drinking fountain in one wall. The interior murals were painted by John Norton of Chicago.
In 1973, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996.