Howard County Courthouse (Iowa)

Last updated
Howard County Courthouse
HowardCountyCourthouseCrescoIowa.jpg
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Elm St.
Cresco, Iowa
Coordinates 43°22′26″N92°7′3″W / 43.37389°N 92.11750°W / 43.37389; -92.11750 Coordinates: 43°22′26″N92°7′3″W / 43.37389°N 92.11750°W / 43.37389; -92.11750
Area less than one acre
Built 1879-1880
Architect B.D. Everingham
J.L. Harlow
Architectural style Italianate
MPS County Courthouses in Iowa TR
NRHP reference # 81000246 [1]
Added to NRHP July 2, 1981

The Howard County Courthouse in Cresco, Iowa, United States was built in 1880. 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 third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Cresco, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Cresco is a city in Howard County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,868 in the 2010 census, a decline from 3,905 in 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howard County.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

Contents

History

When Howard County was organized in 1855 the county judge named Vernon Springs as the county seat. [2] [3] Later in the year he ordered that the court and all county records be moved to Howard Center. New Oregon wanted the county seat there, but Pikes Peak was chosen by a committee instead. A courthouse was built there in 1859. As the county grew a new courthouse was needed and Cresco made a bid to build it in their town. The county board of supervisors accepted the bid and a courthouse was built there in 1876. It was destroyed in a fire and the present courthouse was begun in 1879 and completed a year later.

Howard County, Iowa County in the United States

Howard County is a county located in the US state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,566. The county seat is Cresco. The county was founded in 1851; it was named for General Tilghman Ashurst Howard, a Representative of Indiana.

A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is used in Canada, China, Romania, Taiwan and the United States. County towns have a similar function in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and historically in Jamaica.

Architecture

The Italianate structure was built of red and buff-colored bricks. Two additions were made to the building in 1964. Even though these additions mar it a bit, this is one of the last remaining courthouses in Iowa utilizing the Italianate style. [4] The significance of the courthouse is derived from its association with county government, and the political power and prestige of Cresco as the county seat. [4]

Italianate architecture 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture

The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture.

Iowa State of the United States of America

Iowa is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states; Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska to the west, South Dakota to the northwest and Minnesota to the north.

Related Research Articles

Appanoose County Courthouse

The Appanoose County Courthouse is located in the county seat of Centerville, Iowa, United States. The courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. In 1997 it was included as a contributing property in the Courthouse Square Historic District.

Crawford County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Crawford County Courthouse is in Denison, Iowa, United States, the county seat of Crawford County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Chickasaw County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Chickasaw County Courthouse is a historic governmental building located at 8 East Prospect Street in New Hampton, Iowa, United States. On July 2, 1981, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse is the fourth structure to house court functions and county administration.

Clinton County Courthouse (Iowa)

Clinton County Courthouse is located in Clinton, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1897 and added to the National Register of Historic Places July 2, 1981, as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. It is the fourth courthouse that has been used by the county.

Scott County Jail

The Scott County Jail is the main detention facility for Scott County, Iowa, United States. Inmates are housed for no more than one year, by Iowa law. It is located in the county seat, Davenport, and is part of same facility as the Scott County Courthouse.

Audubon County Court House

The Audubon County Court House is located in the county seat of Audubon, Iowa, United States. 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 courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Allamakee County Court House

The Allamakee County Court House in Waukon, Iowa, United States was built in 1940. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA Multiple Properties Submission. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Lee County Courthouse (Fort Madison, Iowa)

The Lee County Courthouse is located in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. The courthouse serves the court functions and county administration for the northern part of Lee County, and it is the county's first courthouse. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 2014, it was included as a contributing property in the Park-to-Park Residential Historic District. Southern Lee County is served from a courthouse in Keokuk in the former Federal Courthouse building.

Louisa County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Louisa County Courthouse in Wapello, Iowa, United States, was built in 1928. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Poweshiek County Courthouse

The Poweshiek County Courthouse in Montezuma, Iowa, United States, was built in 1859. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 2012 it was listed as a contributing property in the Montezuma Downtown Historic District. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Mitchell County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Mitchell County Courthouse in Osage, Iowa, United States, was built in 2015. The former courthouse, built in stages between 1858 and 1926, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Page County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Page County Courthouse in Clarinda, Iowa, United States, was built in 1887. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Old Worth County Courthouse (Northwood, Iowa)

The Old Worth County Courthouse in Northwood, Iowa, United States, was built in 1880. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse was the first building the county used for court functions and county administration. The building functions as the main museum for the Worth County Historical Society.

Calhoun County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Calhoun County Courthouse, located in Rockwell City, Iowa, United States, was built in 1914. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth structure to house court functions and county administration.

Clay County Courthouse (Iowa)

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. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

Clayton County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Clayton County Courthouse, located in Elkader, Iowa, United States, was built in 1878. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.

Fremont County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Fremont County Courthouse, located in Sidney, Iowa, United States, was built in 1889. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the second structure to house court functions and county administration.

Grundy County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Grundy County Courthouse, located in Grundy Center, Iowa, United States, was built in 1891. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the second structure to house court functions and county administration.

Ida County Courthouse

The Ida County Courthouse, located in Ida Grove, Iowa, United States, was built in 1883. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the second building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

OBrien County Courthouse

The O'Brien County Courthouse is located in Primghar, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. "Howard County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  3. Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 96. ISBN   0-87069-189-9.
  4. 1 2 "Howard County Courthouse". National Park Service . Retrieved 2017-11-19. with photos