Buchanan County Court House (Independence, Iowa)

Buchanan County Court House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
File:Buchanan-county-court-house.jpg
Location	210 5th Ave. NE Independence, Iowa
Coordinates
Built	1940
Architect	Dougher, Rich and Woodburn
Architectural style	PWA Moderne
MPS	PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA MPS
NRHP Reference #	03000820
Added to NRHP	August 28, 2003

Buchanan County Court House in Independence, Iowa, United States was built in 1940. 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 current structure is the third to house court functions and county administration.

History

A small wooden structure that was built in 1847 was used for the first county courthouse. The first term of court was held in a log cabin belonging to Rufus B. Clark and the second term was held in the storeroom of a schoolhouse. A courthouse was finally built in Independence in 1857 for about $10,000. Voters elected to build a new courthouse in 1880 for $7,500.

Des Moines architects Dougher, Rich & Woodburn were retained to design a new courthouse. The county applied for and received a grant from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1938. County voters approved a bond referendum for additional funding on June 6, 1938. Five houses were removed from an expanded courthouse square and groundbreaking for the new courthouse took place November 15, 1938. The cornerstone was laid on September 20, 1939, and the county board of supervisors received the completed building on March 22, 1940. The courthouse was dedicated on May 22 of the same year. Nearly 4,000 people attended the parade and heard the address by retired Rear Admiral Harry Yarnell, who was the main speaker.

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 clad in buff colored brick with Bedford limestone trim. It is three-stories above a raised basement. A central corridor on each floor extends the length of the building with the 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.