Ida County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Ida County Courthouse
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 401 Moorehead St. Ida Grove, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Area | about 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1883 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| MPS | County Courthouses in Iowa TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000787 |
| Added to NRHP | March 15, 1974 |
The Ida County Courthouse is a special building in Ida Grove, Iowa. It was built a long time ago, in 1883. This courthouse is important because it's where the county's government business happens. It's also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a historic landmark! This is the second courthouse building for Ida County.
A Look Back: The Courthouse's History
The very first courthouse for Ida County was actually the first building ever built in Ida Grove! Sadly, that building caught fire in 1877. All the county's important records were lost in the fire too.
After the fire, the county offices had to move. They rented space in different small buildings for a few years. By 1880, all the offices were finally together in one building. That same year, work began on the courthouse we see today. It was finished in 1883. David Wood Townsend was the original builder of this courthouse.
Did you know? The basement of the courthouse used to hold jail cells! Now, those old cells are used for storage. The building was updated twice in the 1930s to make more room for offices. Later, in 1982, another section called an administration annex was added. The courthouse sits in a pretty, park-like area in a neighborhood.
What Does the Courthouse Look Like?
The older part of the courthouse was built in a style called Italianate. This means it has a classic, elegant look. The building is about 82 by 66 feet (25 by 20 m) in size and has an interesting, uneven shape.
The outside of the courthouse is made of brick. It stands two and a half stories tall. The windows are tall and thin, with simple stone decorations above them. A very noticeable part of the building is its tall tower, which reaches about 110-foot (34 m) into the sky!
The roof of the building and the pointy top of the tower look a bit like the Gothic Revival style. This style often features steep roofs and tall spires. You'll also notice decorative brackets under the edges of the roof, all around the building and the tower. These are called eaves.
