Humboldt County Courthouse (Iowa)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Humboldt County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Humboldt County Courthouse is in Dakota City, Iowa, at 203 Main Street. Built in 1939, it is the county’s second courthouse and still serves as the center of court and county administration. Dakota City became the county seat in 1857, and the first courthouse was completed in 1873 for about $5,000.

In 1923, plans for a new courthouse were dropped because people worried the county seat would move to Humboldt. Approval for a new building came in 1936. Des Moines architects Dougher, Rich & Woodburn designed the project, and Holtze Construction Co. of Sioux City built it with funding from the Public Works Administration. The cornerstone was laid on April 30, 1938, and the courthouse was dedicated on February 25, 1939. The project cost about $185,000.

Architecturally, the building is Depression Modern (PWA Moderne). It is a three-story brick structure on a raised basement, measuring 105 by 66 feet, with buff-colored brick and Bedford limestone trim. The main façade is balanced and symmetrical, and two flank sections that were planned were never built. Inside, long central corridors run the length of the building with offices opening onto them. The floors feature colorful terrazzo, marble wainscoting, and acoustic ceiling tiles. The courtroom once showcased dark wood tones and Art Deco details.

The third floor once held the county jail and the sheriff’s living quarters, plus a custodian’s apartment, until remodeling in 1982. The courthouse sits on the courthouse square, just west of the central business district and east of Humboldt. The square itself is a contributing site, and the original flagpole is a contributing object.

National Register of Historic Places

The Humboldt County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 2003, as part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of Iowa Multiple Property Submission. The site covers about 4.9 acres.