Polk County Courthouse (Iowa)
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Polk County Courthouse
| nrhp_type =
| image = Polk County Courthouse - Des Moines 01.jpg
| caption = Polk County Courthouse in 2022
| location = 6th and Mulberry Sts.
Des Moines, Iowa
| coordinates = {{coord|41|35|5|N|93|37|23|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Iowa#USA
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-marker = building
| mapframe-zoom = 12
| mapframe-caption = Interactive map showing the location of Polk County Courthouse
| area = approximately {{convert|2|acres}}
| built = 1906
| builder =
| architect = Proudfoot & Bird
| architecture = Beaux-Arts
| added = April 30, 1979
| mpsub = {{NRHP url|id=64000147|title=County Courthouses in Iowa TR}}
| refnum = 79000925{{NRISref|2009a}}
}}
The Polk County Courthouse located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, was built in 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
History
File:Polk County Justice Center.jpg
File:Polk County Criminal Court Building.jpg
Polk County built its first courthouse in 1847 for $2,015.{{cite web|url=https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/iowa-courts-history/iowa-county-courthouse-history/polk-county-courthouse|title=Polk County Courthouse|publisher=Iowa Judicial Branch|access-date=February 14, 2011}} The brick building measured {{convert|52|by|26|ft|m}}. It was located to the south of the present building.{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=79000925}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Polk County Courthouse|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=September 28, 2017|author=S.J. Klingensmith}} with {{NRHP url|id=79000925|photos=y|title=photos}} After the second courthouse was completed, this first building was sold to a church for $800.{{cite book|last=Stanek|first=Edward and Jacqueline|title=Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses|year=1976|publisher=Wallace-Homestead|location=Des Moines|page=160|isbn=0-87069-189-9}} It later became the Union Depot serving the Wabash and the Des Moines Union Railroads. The second courthouse was built in 1858 for $94,000. The two-story Italianate structure, designed by J.C. Farrand, featured a dome. The building measured {{convert|102|by|66|ft|m}} and the dome rose to a height of {{convert|87|ft|m}}. This building was enlarged in 1866.
The present courthouse was built in 1906 on the same square as the previous courthouse. It was built for $750,000 in the Beaux-Arts style. Measuring {{convert|242|by|132|ft|m}}, the rectangular structure was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird. It is one of the largest county courthouses in the state, and one of the most architecturally significant.
For most of its history, the courthouse hosted both criminal and civil courts. Beginning in 2010, Polk County began a multi-year project to divide court functions between several buildings. A former department store on an adjacent lot was converted into the Polk County Justice Center, which houses the Polk County Attorney as well as juvenile, traffic, and small claims courts. The former county jail (also on a lot adjacent to the courthouse) was partially demolished and rebuilt to host the criminal courts. After this realignment, the historic courthouse hosts only civil court cases.
Architecture
The courthouse is a four-story structure composed of Grey Canyon Sandstone. In the center is a projecting loggia with three arches on the first story and eight Corinthian columns rising from the third floor to the top of the fourth floor. Projecting pavilions are located on each corner. A tall three-stage square clock tower capped with cupola rises from the center of the building. The interior features a large stained glass domed rotunda, marble columns, and murals by Charles A. Cummings and Edward Simmons.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commonscat-inline|Polk County Courthouse (Iowa)}}
{{County courthouses in Iowa}}
{{Historic Des Moines structures}}
Category:Government buildings completed in 1906
Category:Beaux-Arts architecture in Iowa
Category:Buildings and structures in Polk County, Iowa
Category:Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
Category:County courthouses in Iowa
Category:Buildings and structures in Des Moines, Iowa
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Des Moines, Iowa