Tama County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Tama County Courthouse
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | State St. Toledo, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1866 |
| Built by | P.B. McCullough H.B. Belton |
| Architect | W.R. Parsons & Son |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| MPS | County Courthouses in Iowa TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000269 |
| Added to NRHP | July 02, 1981 |
The Tama County Courthouse is a historic building located in Toledo, Iowa. It's where important county decisions are made and where the local government works. This building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 because of its special history and design. It's actually the second courthouse that Tama County has used!
The Story of the Tama County Courthouse
Long ago, in 1854, the very first courthouse for Tama County was built. It was a simple two-story wooden building and cost about $1,300 to make.
The courthouse you see today is much grander. It was finished in 1866 and is designed in a style called Victorian Romanesque. The famous architects W.R. Parsons & Son created its design.
A builder named P.B. McCullough from Toledo started the construction. However, his offer to build it was too low, and he couldn't afford to finish the job. So, another builder, H.B. Belton, stepped in to complete the courthouse. The total cost to build it was $22,000, but the county only paid $5,000, which was the original low bid they had accepted.
Cool Features of the Building
The courthouse is a two-story building made from red bricks and stone. The front of the building, called the facade, has a big stone arch with an entrance set back into it.
Right in the middle of the front, a large square clock tower rises up. It has a pyramid-shaped roof on top. You can reach the belfry, which is where the bells are, by a stairway on the second floor.
The bottom part of the building, the foundation, is made of rough, textured stone. The roof is made of wavy metal sheets. You'll also notice pointed wall sections, called gable ends, sticking up above the roof in different spots around the building.
This courthouse is important because it's where the county government operates. It also shows the political power and importance of Toledo as the main town, or county seat, for Tama County.
