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Polk County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Polk County Courthouse in 2022
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Interactive map showing the location of Polk County Courthouse
Location	6th and Mulberry Sts. Des Moines, Iowa
Coordinates	41°35′5″N 93°37′23″W / 41.58472°N 93.62306°W / 41.58472; -93.62306
Area	approximately 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1906
Architect	Proudfoot & Bird
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
MPS	County Courthouses in Iowa TR
NRHP reference No.	79000925
Added to NRHP	April 30, 1979

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

Polk County built its first courthouse in 1847 for $2,015. The brick building measured 52 by 26 feet (15.8 by 7.9 m). It was located to the south of the present building. After the second courthouse was completed, this first building was sold to a church for $800. 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 102 by 66 feet (31 by 20 m) and the dome rose to a height of 87 feet (27 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 242 by 132 feet (74 by 40 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

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ "Polk County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
3. ^ S.J. Klingensmith. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Polk County Courthouse". National Park Service. Retrieved September 28, 2017. with photos
4. ^ Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 160. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.

External links

[REDACTED] Media related to Polk County Courthouse (Iowa) at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Historic buildings and structures in Des Moines, Iowa
Apartment buildings	Ayrshire Apartments Bryn Mawr Apartments The Elmwood-The Oaks-The Birches Franklin Apartments Hallett Flats–Rawson & Co. Apartment Building Kromer Flats The Lexington The Maine Murillo Flats The New Lawn Norman Apartment Building Plymouth Place
Civic buildings	Des Moines Fire Department Headquarters-Fire Station No. 1 and Shop Building Fire Station No. 4 Iowa Commission for the Blind Building Iowa State Capitol Iowa State Historical Building Municipal Building Polk County Courthouse Public Library of Des Moines United States Courthouse U.S. Post Office
Commercial buildings	American Republic Insurance Company Headquarters Building Apperson-Iowa Motor Car Company Building Argonne Building Baker-Devotie-Hollingsworth Block Burnstein-Malin Grocery D.S. Chamberlain Building Clemens Automobile Company Building Des Moines Building Earle & LeBosquet Block Elliott Furniture Company Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa Building Fleming Building Flynn-Griffin Building Hawkeye Insurance Company Building Hippee Building Hohberger Building Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Des Moines Building Homestead Building Hubbell Building Iowa-Des Moines National Bank Building G.W. Jones Building Liberty Building Perry and Brainard Block Register and Tribune Building Seth Richards Commercial Block Rumely-Des Moines Drug Company Building Sargent's Garage Studebaker Corporation Branch Office Building Syndicate Block Teachout Building Walnut Tire and Battery Co.-Globe Publishing Company Building Wherry Block Youngerman Block Younker Brothers Department Store
Education	Abraham Lincoln High School Fort Des Moines Provisional Army Officer Training School Grand View College (Old Main) Methodist Deaconess Institute—Esther Hall David W. Smouse Opportunity School Theodore Roosevelt High School
Hotels	Hotel Fort Des Moines Hotel Kirkwood Hotel Randolph Northwestern Hotel Savery Hotel
Industrial buildings	Boyt Company Building Crane Building Des Moines Saddlery Company Building Des Moines Western Railway Freight House Firestone District Office and Warehouse Grocers Wholesale Company Building L. Harbach and Sons Furniture Warehouse and Factory Complex Hawkeye Transfer Company Warehouse Herring Motor Car Company Building Iowa Ford Tractor Company Repair and Warehouse Building Mack-International Motor Truck Corporation Building National Biscuit Company Building Schmitt and Henry Manufacturing Company Standard Glass and Paint Company Building Taft-West Warehouse Warfield, Pratt and Howell Company Warehouse
Structures	Court Avenue Bridge Allen Hazen Water Tower Southeast Water Trough Southwest Fifth St. Bridge
Miscellaneous	Des Moines Art Center Fish and Game Pavilion and Aquarium Masonic Temple of Des Moines Scottish Rite Consistory Building
National Register of Historic Places listings in Des Moines, Iowa List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa

• Government buildings completed in 1906
• Beaux-Arts architecture in Iowa
• Buildings and structures in Polk County, Iowa
• Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
• County courthouses in Iowa
• Buildings and structures in Des Moines, Iowa
• Clock towers in Iowa
• National Register of Historic Places in Des Moines, Iowa
• 1906 establishments in Iowa