Floyd County Court House
Encyclopedia
The Floyd County Court House in Charles City, 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. It is the only property in this group, however, that was built with funding from the Public Works Administration
, or PWA. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
on top and a self-supporting roof. Lightning struck the cupola on June 7, 1874. A fire destroyed the courthouse in 1881, but most of the county records were saved. A new courthouse was built on the foundation of the old one and was completed in 1881. It was constructed of brick and was trimmed in stone and cost $17,000 to build.
In 1938 voters were asked to approve the sale of $110,000 in bonds to build a new courthouse. The proposal was based on a matching grant of $90,000 from the PWA. Mason City
architects Hansen & Waggoner had been retained to design the new building, and a campaign to fund the courthouse contained their design sketch. The referendum passed on September 23, 1938, but the PWA funding was not approved.
The old courthouse was condemned in 1939, which necessitated emergency measures. A second referendum was approved by voters on March 25, 1940, but this time there was no PWA funding and the amount approved was double what it had been before. In April 1940 the county board of supervisors narrowly authorized construction of a new courthouse based on Hansen & Waggoner’s design on the same site as the previous courthouse. Ground was broken on August 15, 1940 and the cornerstone
was laid on October 19, 1940. The building was dedicated on October 10, 1941 with Governor George A. Wilson
as the featured speaker. The total construction costs were $265,000.
with a central section that protrudes slightly forward. The exterior is composed of pressed brick and red granite
trim. On the interior the central corridors extend the length of the building with the county offices opening onto the corridors. A central staircase was located opposite the main entrance. The interior featured multi-colored terrazzo
floors, marble wainscoting and glass blocks in office entrances and stairwell lights.
Charles City, Iowa
Charles City is a city in Floyd County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,652 at the 2010 census a decrease of 160, or 2%, from 7,812 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Floyd County. Charles City is a significant commercial and transportation center for the area, located on U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was built in 1940. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. It is the only property in this group, however, that was built with funding from the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
, or PWA. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
History
In the early years of the county records were kept in the homes or businesses of county officials. The first courthouse was a two story structure that was built of stone for $18,000 in 1861. The building featured a cupolaCupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
on top and a self-supporting roof. Lightning struck the cupola on June 7, 1874. A fire destroyed the courthouse in 1881, but most of the county records were saved. A new courthouse was built on the foundation of the old one and was completed in 1881. It was constructed of brick and was trimmed in stone and cost $17,000 to build.
In 1938 voters were asked to approve the sale of $110,000 in bonds to build a new courthouse. The proposal was based on a matching grant of $90,000 from the PWA. Mason City
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....
architects Hansen & Waggoner had been retained to design the new building, and a campaign to fund the courthouse contained their design sketch. The referendum passed on September 23, 1938, but the PWA funding was not approved.
The old courthouse was condemned in 1939, which necessitated emergency measures. A second referendum was approved by voters on March 25, 1940, but this time there was no PWA funding and the amount approved was double what it had been before. In April 1940 the county board of supervisors narrowly authorized construction of a new courthouse based on Hansen & Waggoner’s design on the same site as the previous courthouse. Ground was broken on August 15, 1940 and the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid on October 19, 1940. The building was dedicated on October 10, 1941 with Governor George A. Wilson
George A. Wilson
George Allison Wilson was a United States Senator and 28th Governor of Iowa.-Personal background:Born on a farm near Menlo, Iowa, Wilson attended rural schools, and Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law at Iowa City in 1907, and was admitted to...
as the featured speaker. The total construction costs were $265,000.
Architecture
The architectural style of the building is known as Depression Modern or PWA Moderne. The building features a symmetrical façadeFacade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
with a central section that protrudes slightly forward. The exterior is composed of pressed brick and red granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
trim. On the interior the central corridors extend the length of the building with the county offices opening onto the corridors. A central staircase was located opposite the main entrance. The interior featured multi-colored terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
floors, marble wainscoting and glass blocks in office entrances and stairwell lights.