The Barnstable County Courthouse is an historic

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

at 3195 Main Street in

Barnstable, Massachusetts The Town of Barnstable ( ) is a town in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod, and is one of thirteen Massachusetts municipaliti ...

. The two-story

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

building was built in 1831 to a design by architect

Alexander Parris Alexander Parris (November 24, 1780 – June 16, 1852) was a prominent American architect-engineer. Beginning as a housewright, he evolved into an architect whose work transitioned from Federal style architecture to the later Greek Revival. Parri ...

. It is built mostly out of Quincy granite, although its front portico and fluted Doric columns are made of wood fashioned to look like stone. The building has been expanded five times between 1879 and 1971, with each addition made in a style sensitive to its original styling, and its main courtroom features original Federal styling. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1981, and included in the

Old King's Highway Historic District The Old King's Highway Historic District encompasses what was historically the principal east–west thoroughfare through Barnstable, Massachusetts. It encompasses Barnstable's entire length of what is now designated Massachusetts Route 6A an ...

in 1987. The Barnstable Superior Court is located in the building.

Description and history

The courthouse is set on the south side of Main Street (

Massachusetts Route 6A Massachusetts Route 6A is the state road for two sections formerly known as U.S. Route 6 (US 6) on Cape Cod. Most of Route 6A is also known as the Old King's Highway. Combining the 2 major sections (and a "silent" concurrency with US ...

, also known as the Old King's Highway), at the western edge of a complex housing administrative facilities of

Barnstable County Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 228,996. Its shire town is Barnstable. The county consists of Cape Cod and associated islands (some adjacent islands are in Duk ...

. The building consists of a north-facing original rectangular two-story block, behind which a series of symmetrically-arranged wings have been built. The original block, designed by the renowned architect

, measures , and is fashioned out of large blocks of Quincy granite. It is fronted by a Greek temple front, consisting of a triangular pediment supported by four fluted Doric columns. The temple front, including the columns, is fashioned out of wood finished to give the appearance of stone. The main courtroom has retained most of its original woodwork and trim, including some of its original furnishings. The building has been repeatedly enlarged to meet increased need for facilities. All of these expansions continued the use of Quincy granite, giving the building a unified feel. In 1879 the building was enlarged to the rear, and in 1889 a single-story ell was added extending east from the rear. In 1906 the eastern ell was raised to two stories and a matching two-story ell was added to the west. These ells were extended further to the southwest and southeast with two-story additions in 1925. The building underwent a major rehabilitation in 1971, at which time a small addition was added to south, centered between the last two additions.

Gallery

File:Statue of James Otis Jr in Barnstable.jpg,

Bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...

James Otis, Jr James Otis Jr. (February 5, 1725 – May 23, 1783) was an American lawyer, political activist, colonial legislator, and early supporter of patriotic causes in Massachusetts at the beginning of the Revolutionary Era. Otis was a fervent opponent ...

stands to the left of the courthouse entrance File:Mercy Otis Warren bronze statue at Barnstable County Courthouse.jpg,

Mercy Otis Warren Mercy Otis Warren (September 14, eptember 25, New Style1728 – October 19, 1814) was an American activist poet, playwright, and pamphleteer during the American Revolution. During the years before the Revolution, she had published poems and pla ...

stands to the right of the courthouse entrance File:Barnstable County Court House.jpg, Barnstable County Court House, in Barnstable

References

External links

*
Barnstable Superior Court website
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Barnstable, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Barnstable, Massachusetts County courthouses in Massachusetts Government buildings completed in 1831 Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts

Description and history

Gallery

See also

References

External links