Monongalia County Courthouse
Encyclopedia
Monongalia County Courthouse is a historic courthouse
building located at Morgantown
, Monongalia County, West Virginia
. The courthouse was built in 1891, and consists of a two-story building with a basement, five-story clock tower
and three-story South tower in the Romanesque
styles. The distinctive central clock tower has a pyramidal rood, four doomed buttress
es, stone molds over the four clocks and tower windows, arcade belfry, and quatrefoil
design with the building date. The original northern facade was covered by an addition built in 1925. Another addition was built in 1975. Connected to the courthouse is a two-story Italianate
style jailhouse built in 1881.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1985. It is located in the Downtown Morgantown Historic District
, listed in 1996.
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
building located at Morgantown
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
, Monongalia County, West Virginia
Monongalia County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 81,866 people, 33,446 households, and 18,495 families residing in the county. The population density was 227 people per square mile . There were 36,695 housing units at an average density of 102 per square mile...
. The courthouse was built in 1891, and consists of a two-story building with a basement, five-story clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
and three-story South tower in the Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
styles. The distinctive central clock tower has a pyramidal rood, four doomed buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, stone molds over the four clocks and tower windows, arcade belfry, and quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
design with the building date. The original northern facade was covered by an addition built in 1925. Another addition was built in 1975. Connected to the courthouse is a two-story Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
style jailhouse built in 1881.
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 1985. It is located in the Downtown Morgantown Historic District
Downtown Morgantown Historic District
Downtown Morgantown Historic District is a national historic district located at Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia. The district originally included 122 contributing buildings and 2 contributing sites in the central business district and surrounding residential areas of Morgantown. ...
, listed in 1996.