Linn County Courthouse (Iowa)

United States historic place

Linn County Courthouse

U.S. Historic district
Contributing property

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Location| May’s Island
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Coordinates| 41°58′30.1″N 91°40′10.7″W﻿ / ﻿41.975028°N 91.669639°W﻿ / 41.975028; -91.669639
Built| 1923-1925
Architect| Joseph Royer
Architectural style| Beaux-Arts
Part of| May's Island Historic District (ID78001240[1])
Added to NRHP| October 19, 1978

The  Linn County Courthouse  is located on May's Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It, along with the Veterans Memorial Building and two other buildings, is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1] The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

## History[edit]

The county's first courthouse was built for $40,000 in 1842 in Marion.[2][3] The building was two stories tall and constructed of brick. As Cedar Rapids vied for Marion to be the county seat a second courthouse was built in Marion in 1855. Cedar Rapids deeded a plot of land to the county for a courthouse in 1919. Even though voters failed to support a $1.3 million bond referendum to build the courthouse the board of supervisors continued to plan for a new building.[2] In 1922 voters passed a smaller bond referendum.

The present courthouse was designed by Urbana, Illinois architect Joseph Royer in the Beaux-Arts style.[4] It was completed in 1925 for just under $500,000.[3] Royer also designed the former county jail that sat behind the courthouse.

The building sustained significant damage from a flood in 2008. Renovations of the building were completed in 2014.[5]

## Architecture[edit]

The Linn County Courthouse is a three-story Bedford stone structure built on a granite foundation.[4] The building consists of a main block flanked by two short wings. Classical elements are found in the full entablature and the protruding, nine-bay entrance porch. Ten fluted columns in the Ionic order support the entablature and parapet. Decorative stone panels separate two floors of windows. A stone balustrade surrounds the terrace, and balconies on the first floor windows flank the entrance pavilion. The side elevations and the rear of the building provide a simpler appearance, but the cornice surrounds most of the building. The interior walls were built of travertine and marble covers the floors.

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. ^ a b "Linn County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
3. ^ a b Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 120\. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.
4. ^ a b Edward Sauter; M.H. Bowers (1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: May's Island Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved December 29, 2015. with seven photos
5. ^ Marjorie Pearson, Ph.D. "Commercial and Industrial Development of Downtown Cedar Rapids, c. 1865-1965" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved July 6, 2017.

## External links[edit]

Media related to Linn County Courthouse (Iowa) at Wikimedia Commons

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Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Areas|

* Mays Island

Landmarks|

* NRHP sites
* African American Museum of Iowa
* Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
* National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

Education|

* Cedar Rapids CSD
* Jefferson HS
* Kennedy HS
* Washington HS
* Metro Alternative HS

* College CSD
* Prairie HS
* Linn-Mar CSD
* Marion ISD
* Kirkwood Community College

Transportation|

* 380 Express
* Cedar Rapids Transit
* Eastern Iowa Airport

Media|

* The Gazette

Culture|

* Cedar Rapids (film)
* Cedar Rapids RollerGirls
* Orchestra Iowa
* Theatre Cedar Rapids

This list is incomplete.

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County courthouses in Iowa

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* Iowa portal

List of counties in Iowa ♦ List of county courthouses in Iowa

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National Register of Historic Places in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Agriculture|

* Seminole Valley Farmstead

Apartment buildings|

* Ausadie Building
* Brown Apartments

Civic buildings|

* Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station
* Cedar Rapids Post Office and Public Building
* Iowa State Highway Commission, District 6 Building
* Linn County Courthouse
* Veterans Memorial Building

Clubhouses|

* C.S.P.S. Hall
* Consistory Building No. 2
* Sokol Gymnasium

Commercial buildings|

* Best Oil and Refining Company Service Station
* Hotel Roosevelt
* Iowa Building
* Lattner Auditorium Building
* Lesinger Block
* Paramount Theater Building
* Peoples Savings Bank
* Security Building
* Sinclair Building-Smulekoffs Furniture Store

Historic districts|

* B Avenue NE Historic District
* Bever Woods Historic District
* Bohemian Commercial Historic District
* Cedar Rapids 2nd Avenue SE. Automobile Row Historic District
* Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District
* Mays Island Historic District
* Monroe Elementary School Historic District
* Oak Hill Cemetery Historic District
* Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto Historic District
* Redmond Park-Grande Avenue Historic District
* Second and Third Avenue Historic District
* West Side Third Avenue SW Commercial Historic District

Houses|

* Robert and Esther Armstrong House
* A. T. Averill House
* Glenn M. and Edith Averill House
* Calder Houses
* William and Sue Damour House
* George B. Douglas House
* Dr. Percy and Lileah Harris House
* Lustron Home No. 02102
* Charles W. and Nellie Perkins House
* T. M. Sinclair Mansion
* Taylor-Van Note
* Philip A. Wolff House and Carriage House

Industrial buildings|

* Cedar Rapids Milk Condensing Company
* Cedar Rapids Pump Company Factory and Warehouse
* Evans Manufacturing Company Building
* Hamilton Brothers Building
* Harper and McIntire Company Warehouse
* Iowa Wind Mill and Pump Company Office and Warehouse
* Shores-Mueller Company
* Witwer Grocery Company Building

Religious buildings|

* Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
* First Church of Christ, Scientist
* First Universalist Church of Cedar Rapids
* Moslem Temple
* St. James United Methodist Church
* St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church

Schools|

* Grant Vocational High School

Transportation|

* First Avenue Bridge
* Highwater Rock
* IANR Railroad Underpass

National Register of Historic Places listings in Linn County, Iowa
List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa
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