Scott County Courthouse (Iowa)
Encyclopedia
The Scott County Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa
, United States
was built in 1955 and extensively renovated over a ten year period between 1998-2009. It is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. It is part of a larger county complex that includes the county jail, administration building and juvenile detention facility.
was established in 1837 by the legislature of the Wisconsin Territory
. Until this time the area had been a part of Des Moines County
. The first court sessions in the county were held in St. Anthony's Catholic Church
. The juries met in a room that was made available by George Davenport
.
Davenport and Rockingham, a town a mile south on the Mississippi River
, contended for the county seat. An election was held in February 1838. Because the population base at the time was in the southern part of the county, Rockingham was favored. Davenport’s promoters paid $3,000 in whiskey and bribes to miners from Dubuque, Iowa
to vote for Davenport, which won the election. Rockingham contested the election and a new election was set for August 1838. Both towns’ promoters defrauded the ballot box this time, but the results remained the same. Rockingham again protested and the legislature of the Iowa Territory
, of which Scott County had become a part of in 1838, set a new election for the summer of 1840 and Winfield entered the contest. This time Davenport’s promoters promised to build a courthouse and jail free of charge. Rockingham and Winfield could not match the offer and Davenport won the election 318-221. Rockingham was later annexed into the city of Davenport.
The county's first courthouse was a Greek Revival style building built in 1842. It was located on Bolivar Square, one of the four public squares laid out by Antoine LeClaire
when he plotted the town in 1836. As the county grew a larger courthouse was needed and an ornate Beaux Arts structure was built in 1886. The building was constructed of Bedford stone
and was topped by a dome. It was built at a cost of $125,000. Around 1930 termites began to eat away at the wood beams that supported the structure. The building started to sink into the sandy soil it was built on, which necessitated costly repairs.
The present courthouse was built in 1955 at a cost of $1,480,000. In 1983 the courthouse and the Scott County Jail
were joined together by an addition to the jail, whose original building was constructed in 1896. A ten year $13.8 million renovation project began in 1998 after many county offices were moved from the courthouse into a new administration center. Court related offices were moved into newly renovated areas during the project. In 2004 a bond referendum was passed by county voters to expand the size of the jail. The $29.7 million expansion was opened in 2007 and expanded the courthouse and jail complex with a 75,000-square-foot (6,967.73 m²) addition. The new entrance pavilion provided security screening to the entire courthouse for the first time.
In 2010 the county board of supervisors approved a $176,000 plan to renovate the courthouse's 11 court rooms. Renovations include electrical wiring, technology upgrades, painting, replacing carpet and ceiling tiles and asbestos removal.
with a freestanding stone archway in front of the building.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was built in 1955 and extensively renovated over a ten year period between 1998-2009. It is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. It is part of a larger county complex that includes the county jail, administration building and juvenile detention facility.
History
Scott CountyScott County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 165,224 in the county, with a population density of . There were 71,835 housing units, of which 66,765 were occupied.-2000 census:...
was established in 1837 by the legislature of the Wisconsin Territory
Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
. Until this time the area had been a part of Des Moines County
Des Moines County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 40,325 in the county, with a population density of . There were 18,535 housing units, of which 17,003 were occupied.-2000 census:...
. The first court sessions in the county were held in St. Anthony's Catholic Church
St. Anthony's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Saint Anthony's Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, at the corner of 4th and Main Streets. It is the first church congregation organized in the city of Davenport and the second, after St. Raphael's...
. The juries met in a room that was made available by George Davenport
George Davenport
Colonel George Davenport was a 19th-century American frontiersman, trader and US Army officer. A prominent and well-known settler in the Iowa Territory, he was one of the earliest settlers in Rock Island and spent much of his life involved in the early settlement of the Mississippi Valley and the...
.
Davenport and Rockingham, a town a mile south on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, contended for the county seat. An election was held in February 1838. Because the population base at the time was in the southern part of the county, Rockingham was favored. Davenport’s promoters paid $3,000 in whiskey and bribes to miners from Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
to vote for Davenport, which won the election. Rockingham contested the election and a new election was set for August 1838. Both towns’ promoters defrauded the ballot box this time, but the results remained the same. Rockingham again protested and the legislature of the Iowa Territory
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...
, of which Scott County had become a part of in 1838, set a new election for the summer of 1840 and Winfield entered the contest. This time Davenport’s promoters promised to build a courthouse and jail free of charge. Rockingham and Winfield could not match the offer and Davenport won the election 318-221. Rockingham was later annexed into the city of Davenport.
The county's first courthouse was a Greek Revival style building built in 1842. It was located on Bolivar Square, one of the four public squares laid out by Antoine LeClaire
Antoine LeClaire
Antoine LeClaire was a US Army interpreter, landowner in Scott County, Iowa and Rock Island County, Illinois, businessman, philanthropist and principal founder of Davenport, Iowa-Early life:...
when he plotted the town in 1836. As the county grew a larger courthouse was needed and an ornate Beaux Arts structure was built in 1886. The building was constructed of Bedford stone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
and was topped by a dome. It was built at a cost of $125,000. Around 1930 termites began to eat away at the wood beams that supported the structure. The building started to sink into the sandy soil it was built on, which necessitated costly repairs.
The present courthouse was built in 1955 at a cost of $1,480,000. In 1983 the courthouse and the Scott County Jail
Scott County Jail
The Scott County Jail was built in 1897 and is the main detention facility for Scott County, Iowa, USA. Inmates are housed no more than one year, by Iowa law. An annex was built on to the jail in 1983....
were joined together by an addition to the jail, whose original building was constructed in 1896. A ten year $13.8 million renovation project began in 1998 after many county offices were moved from the courthouse into a new administration center. Court related offices were moved into newly renovated areas during the project. In 2004 a bond referendum was passed by county voters to expand the size of the jail. The $29.7 million expansion was opened in 2007 and expanded the courthouse and jail complex with a 75,000-square-foot (6,967.73 m²) addition. The new entrance pavilion provided security screening to the entire courthouse for the first time.
In 2010 the county board of supervisors approved a $176,000 plan to renovate the courthouse's 11 court rooms. Renovations include electrical wiring, technology upgrades, painting, replacing carpet and ceiling tiles and asbestos removal.
Architecture
The 1955 courthouse itself is a three-story rectangular structure. It was designed in the modern architectural style. The exterior is clad in aluminum and the foundation is faced with granite, as is the surround for what served as the building’s main entrance. There are corrugated metal sections between the floors and fixed-pane windows. The building is topped by a flat roof. When the jail was expanded in 2007 a new entrance into the courthouse and jail complex was created on the west side of the courthouse. The new entrance pavilion has a glass and metal façadeFacade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
with a freestanding stone archway in front of the building.