Hardin County Courthouse (Iowa)
Encyclopedia
The Hardin County Courthouse, located in Eldora, Iowa
, United States
, was built in 1892. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1981 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.
was a two-story frame structure built in 1856. It was destroyed in a fire the same year and a new courthouse was built the following year. The county’s present courthouse was built in 1892 for $48,000. The building’s interior was restored in 1968.
columns surrounding the north and south entrances. The corner turrets, hipped roof
, cross gable
s, and the cut stone trimming are typical of the Queen Anne style. The buildings 128 foot (39 m) bell tower reflects those found in Italian gothic town centers. Statues of Justice, Mercy and Liberty are in the alcove beneath the bell tower. The semi-circular transoms on the middle east and west windows feature the seal of the State of Iowa in frosted glass
.
Eldora, Iowa
Eldora is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,035 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hardin County. Eldora is located adjacent to the Iowa River and Pine Lake State Park. The city is most famous for the filming of the 1996 movie Twister on location. The...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was built in 1892. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1981 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
The first courthouse in Hardin CountyHardin County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 17,534 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,224 housing units, of which 7,296 were occupied.-2000 census:...
was a two-story frame structure built in 1856. It was destroyed in a fire the same year and a new courthouse was built the following year. The county’s present courthouse was built in 1892 for $48,000. The building’s interior was restored in 1968.
Architecture
The courthouse was designed by architect T.D. Allen in the Romanesque Revival style. The exterior of the building is composed of St. Louis pressed brick and pink Kasota stone. There is a checkerboard pattern in the brick and rock faced stone that surrounds the main entrance. Characteristics of the Richardsonian style are evident in the Roman arches that rest on red graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
columns surrounding the north and south entrances. The corner turrets, hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, cross gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s, and the cut stone trimming are typical of the Queen Anne style. The buildings 128 foot (39 m) bell tower reflects those found in Italian gothic town centers. Statues of Justice, Mercy and Liberty are in the alcove beneath the bell tower. The semi-circular transoms on the middle east and west windows feature the seal of the State of Iowa in frosted glass
Frosted glass
Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. It has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering of light during transmission, thus blurring images while still transmitting light.Applications:...
.