The Dubuque County Jail is a historic building at 36 East 8th Street in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

, United States. Completed in 1858, the jail is an example of the uncommon

Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...

style. It is architecturally a highly original work of

John F. Rague John Francis Rague (1799–1877; pronounced ''ra-gu'') was a mid-19th century architect who designed and built numerous public buildings including the 1837 Illinois State Capitol#Former capitols, Old Capitol of Illinois and the 1840 Iowa Old ...

, who also designed the 1837 Old Capitol of Illinois and the 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. The building was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

for its architecture in 1987. It served as a jail for more than a century, became a museum in 1975, and was converted into county offices in 2016.

History

The first

Dubuque County, Iowa Dubuque County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,266, making it the eighth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Dubuque. The county is named for Julien Dubuque, the first Eur ...

jail was a stone building nicknamed the "calaboose" built in 1836. It was succeeded by a log building at the corner of 8th and Clay Streets that was intended to be built as a county courthouse. By 1855, it was apparent that a larger structure was needed. On April 1, 1856, citizens of the county voted to approve the construction of the current structure for $40,000. On April 17, the construction contract was awarded to David Armstrong. Rague & Drake designed the structure. The new county jail was built with blue limestone from Dunleith, Illinois. Completed in 1858, the jail had thirty-two cells and a Sheriff's residence. On June 1, 1874, a six-cell addition was approved for the eastern portion of the building to house female prisoners. It was completed that December for $5,600. The building was used as a jail until 1971. On June 27, 1972, the building was recognized by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

with a listing 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 1975, the Dubuque Art Association rented the building as a museum. In 1983, the Dubuque County Supervisors extended the lease for twenty more years; this marked the first time that the association had a long-term home. The jail was declared a

on May 28, 1987. When the lease expired in 2003, the association moved into a bank building by Washington Park. The Dubuque County Historical Society took over operations, turning the gallery into the Old Jail Museum. The county felt the space was underutilized, and converted it to office space in 2016 for the county medical examiner, I.T. department and veteran's affairs office. the renovation cost $800,000 and maintained and restored much of the original character of the building.

References

External links

County Jail
- City of Dubuque {{NRHP in Dubuque, Iowa National Historic Landmarks in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, Iowa Jails on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Government buildings completed in 1858 Defunct prisons in Iowa Prison museums in the United States History museums in Iowa Museums in Dubuque, Iowa Jails in Iowa Egyptian Revival architecture in Iowa 1858 establishments in Iowa

History

See also

References

External links