The Cleveland County Courthouse is a
courthouse building located at
Shelby,
Cleveland County, North Carolina.
History
The courthouse was built in 1907, and is a three-story, rectangular,
Classical Revival
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
-style building sheathed in a smooth
ashlar veneer above a rusticated first floor. It features tetrastyle
Corinthian order porticoes at each of the four entrances and a three-stage
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome.
The word derives, via Italian, fro ...
atop the flat roof.
In 1916,
Thomas Dixon, Jr., the author of ''
The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan'', planned to erect a statue of his uncle
Leroy McAfee on the courthouse square.
The project was initially met with enthusiasm,
until it was announced that Dixon wanted McAfee to wear a
Ku Klux Klan mask in the statue.
Courthouse offices moved to a new building in 1974, and the old courthouse houses offices, and public meeting hall. It was also home to the Cleveland County Historical Museum, which closed in 2004 and became the
Earl Scruggs Center in 2014 after extensive interior renovations.
It 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 ...
in 1979.
[ It is located in the Central Shelby Historic District.
]
Earl Scruggs Center
The courthouse is now home to the Earl Scruggs Center — "Music & Stories from the American South", which opened in 2014.
See also
* List of music museums
This worldwide list of music museums encompasses past and present museums that focus on musicians, musical instruments or other musical subjects.
Argentina
* – Mina Clavero
* Academia Nacional del Tango de la República Argentina – Buenos ...
References
External links
Earl Scruggs Center
- official site
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina
County courthouses in North Carolina
Neoclassical architecture in North Carolina
Government buildings completed in 1907
Buildings and structures in Cleveland County, North Carolina
National Register of Historic Places in Cleveland County, North Carolina
Historic district contributing properties in North Carolina
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