Dallas County Courthouse

Story

The Dallas County Courthouse in Adel, Iowa, United States was built in 1902. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and is a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 2009 it was included as a contributing property in the Adel Public Square Historic District. The current structure is the fourth building to house court functions and county administration.HistoryDallas County’s first courthouse was a cabin constructed of cottonwood logs and served the county from 1848-1853. Leaders constructed a second courthouse that served for five years when they constructed a third facility. It was a two-story brick structure measuring 64x, and was built for $20,000. In November 1900, county voters authorized $85,000 to construct the current courthouse. It is four-floors and was dedicated in September 1902.ArchitectureThe courthouse, designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird, was modeled on a French castle and cost $109,243. It is constructed of Bedford stone and features a 128ft tower housing a $1,000 clock. Statues of the goddess of Justice flank the main entrance. A renovation project began in 2005 to deal with structural issues has restored of the rotunda and also addressed cosmetic concerns such as repainting interior spaces in their original color schemes and installing new light fixtures to match the wrought iron of the Grand Stair Case. The final stage of the project is an $80,000 restoration of the artwork on the ceiling.