Linn County Courthouse (Iowa)
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Linn County Courthouse | |
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| Location | May’s Island, Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 41°58′54″N 91°40′10″W / 41.98167°N 91.66944°WCoordinates: 41°58′54″N 91°40′10″W / 41.98167°N 91.66944°W |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Governing body | Local |
| Part of | May's Island Historic District (#78001240[1]) |
| Added to NRHP | October 19, 1978 |
The Linn County Courthouse is located on May’s Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It, along with the Veterans Memorial Building, is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1] The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
History
The county’s first courthouse was built for $40,000 in 1842 in Marion.[2] The building was two-stories tall and constructed of brick. As Cedar Rapids vied for Marion to be the county seat a second courthouse was built in Marion in 1855. Cedar Rapids deeded a plot of land to the county for a courthouse in 1919. Even though voters failed to support a $1.3 million bond referendum to build the courthouse the board of supervisors continued to plan for a new buildiing.[2] In 1922 voters passed a smaller bond referendum.
The present courthouse was built of Bedford Limestone in the Beaux-Arts style. Ten columns adorn the front of the three-story building. The interior walls were built of travertine and marble covers the floors. The building sustained damage from the Iowa flood of 2008. The upper floors of the courthouse reopened in October that year. The lower level, which housed juvenile court offices and record storage, was not. It will be remodeled into courtroom space. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is expected to fund $6.2 million of the estimated $8.5 million required to renovate the building.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Linn County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ↑ "County Courthouse". Linn County. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
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