Clay County Courthouse (Iowa)

Clay County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	4th St. and 3rd Ave., Spencer, Iowa
Coordinates:	43°8′31″N 95°8′52″W / 43.14194°N 95.14778°W / 43.14194; -95.14778Coordinates: 43°8′31″N 95°8′52″W / 43.14194°N 95.14778°W / 43.14194; -95.14778
Built:	1901
Architectural style:	Classical Revival
Governing body:	Local
MPS:	County Courthouses in Iowa TR
NRHP Reference#:	81000229 [1]
Added to NRHP:	July 2, 1981

The Clay County Courthouse, located in Spencer, Iowa, United States, was built in 1901. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.^[1] The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

History

A commission chose Spencer Township as Clay County’s first county seat. Voters chose Peterson instead and allocated $6,000 for a courthouse.^[2] When the contractor turned in a bill for $7,500 he was paid $6,000.^[2] In 1871 the county seat was moved to Spencer and a courthouse was built for $1,333.^[2] It became too small and another courthouse was built for $4,435. The old courthouse was used for a barn, a cement block factory and then remade into two houses. The present courthouse was begun in 1900 and built at a cost of $60,000.^[2] The red stone Classical Revival building features a bronze covered dome.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "Clay County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. http://www.iowacourtsonline.org/wfdata/frame1759-1464/pressrel21.asp. Retrieved 2011-02-26.