- Greene County Courthouse (Iowa)
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Greene County Courthouse
Location: E. Lincoln Way and Chestnut St., Jefferson, Iowa Coordinates: 42°0′57″N 94°22′26″W / 42.01583°N 94.37389°WCoordinates: 42°0′57″N 94°22′26″W / 42.01583°N 94.37389°W Built: 1918 Architect: Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson Architectural style: Beaux Arts Governing body: Local MPS: County Courthouses in Iowa TR NRHP Reference#: 78001222 [1] Added to NRHP: December 14, 1978 The Greene County Courthouse, located in Jefferson, Iowa, United States, was built in 1918. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.[1] The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
Contents
History
Lindsey Memorial
The first courthouse in Greene County was a frame building built in 1856 for $1,825.[2] Prior to that time the county officers were housed in the Thomas Phillips Building. The second courthouse was competed in 1870 for $37,000.[2] The building featured a bell in the cupola that served as a fire alarm, called the court into session and curfew.[2] The present courthouse was dedicated in 1917 and was built at a cost of $200,000. A monument to President Abraham Lincoln was added in 1918 to commemorate the Lincoln Highway, which passes in front of the courthouse.
The Mahanay Tower was added to the courthouse grounds in 1966.
In 1993 the Lindsey Memorial, which originally stood at the Lindsey Air Station in Wiesbaden, Germany, was placed on the courthouse grounds. It commemorates Greene County native Darrell R. Lindsey, who posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor during World War II.[3]
Architecture
Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson of Des Moines designed the building in the Beaux Arts style.[1] It is constructed of Bedford Stone and in three-stories tall. The floor of the central rotunda features a 14 foot (4.3 m) mosaic tile reproduction of the county seal. William Peaco painted the four murals that adorn the inner dome. They are titled: The Buffalo Hunt, The Emigrants, The Pioneer and The Modern Farm.
Mahanay Tower
The bell tower was dedicated on October 16, 1966 and was built at a cost of $350,000.[3] It was paid for by the estates of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Mahanay. The 165 foot (50.3 m) tower contains 14 bells that were cast in the Petit & Fritsen Bell Foundry in Aarle-Rixtel the Netherlands.[3] The bells chime on the hour, quarter hour, half-hour and three-quarters’ hour. Music is played daily on an electric keyboard. The tower has a 120 foot (36.6 m) observation deck that is accessed by way of a glass elevator.[3]
References
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ a b c "Greene County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. http://www.iowacourtsonline.org/wfdata/frame1759-1464/pressrel36.asp. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ a b c d "History". Greene County, Iowa. http://www.co.greene.ia.us/history.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other Categories:- Buildings and structures completed in 1918
- Beaux-Arts architecture in Iowa
- Buildings and structures in Greene County, Iowa
- Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
- County courthouses in Iowa
- Towers in Iowa
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