Webster County Courthouse (Iowa)

Webster County Courthouse

Front entrance to the courthouse
Location 701 Central Ave.
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Coordinates 42°30′17″N 94°11′17″W / 42.50472°N 94.18806°W / 42.50472; -94.18806Coordinates: 42°30′17″N 94°11′17″W / 42.50472°N 94.18806°W / 42.50472; -94.18806
Built 1902
Architect Henry C. Koch; Northern Building Company
Architectural style Beaux-Arts, Classical Revival
Part of Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District (#10000918)
MPS County Courthouses in Iowa TR
NRHP Reference # 81000274[1]
Added to NRHP July 2, 1981

The Webster County Courthouse is a historic building in Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States. Built in 1902, it primarily houses local government offices for Webster County. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and as a contributing property in the Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District in 2010.

History

Webster County Courthouse.

The current courthouse is Webster County's third courthouse. After the county was organized in 1852, the community of Homer was designated the county seat, and a courthouse was built there.[2] When a controversial election resulted in the county seat being moved from Homer to Fort Dodge in 1856,[3] local officials decided to construct a courthouse in the new county seat.[2] Construction began in 1859 with the laying of the cornerstone, and the two-story courthouse was finished two years later; however, this courthouse soon became insufficient for the county's needs. Accordingly, the old building was destroyed and a new four-story courthouse built on the same site. This stone building represented a significant expansion of its predecessor, and it included elements such as a clock tower and more ornate.[3] This final version of the courthouse was not completed until 1902, at which point approximately $39,450 had been expended in constructing the building. By 1980, the courthouse required extensive renovations, including a new roof, exterior repairs, restorations to the clock tower, and a refurbished interior; the entire process took several million dollars and over twenty years to complete.[2]

Present status

Today, the courthouse is the site of much local and regional government business, including the office of the county assessor,[4] the meeting area for the Webster County Board of Health,[5] service offices for the hearing impaired,[6] and offices for the state courts of the Second Judicial District.[7][8] Its architectural status led to it being listed, along with several other Iowa courthouses, on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 Webster County, Iowa State Association of Counties. Accessed 2009-04-10.
  3. 1 2 Webster County Courthouse, Iowa Judicial Branch, 2009. Accessed 2009-04-10.
  4. ↑ Webster County Assessor, Webster County Assessor. Accessed 2009-04-10.
  5. ↑ Webster County Board of Health, Webster County Board of Health. Accessed 2009-04-10.
  6. ↑ Directory of Resources and Services For Deaf and Hard of Hearing Iowans, Deaf Services Commission of Iowa, Iowa Department of Human Rights, 2002, page 165. Accessed 2009-04-10.
  7. ↑ Wilke, Curt L. Iowa District Court, Second Judicial District, 2006-08-21. Accessed 2009-04-10.
  8. ↑ Webster County, Office of the Iowa Attorney General. Accessed 2009-04-10.
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