Lucas County Courthouse Square Historic District is a nationally recognized

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located in

Chariton, Iowa Chariton is a city in, and the county seat of, Lucas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,193 at the 2020 census. Lucas is the primary distribution center for and the former corporate headquarters of the Hy-Vee supermarket chain. H ...

, United States. 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 v ...

in 2014. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 76 resources, including 56

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, one

contributing site In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, one

contributing structure In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, three

contributing objects In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, 14 noncontributing buildings, one noncontributing structure, and one noncontributing object. The historic district covers the city's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

in the original town plat. The buildings were either built or remodeled between 1867 and 1963, and range from one to three stories in height. They all have brick exteriors. Of the older buildings, the commercial

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

style is dominant. While the vast majority of the buildings are commercial buildings, there are five public buildings in the district: the Lucas County Courthouse (1893), Chariton Free Public Library (1904), the former Lucas County Sheriffs Residence and Jail (1916), the U.S. Post Office (1918), and

Chariton City Hall and Fire Station Chariton City Hall and Fire Station is located in Chariton, Iowa, United States. The combination building was designed by city engineer William L. Perkins, who had become known for designing residential and public buildings. with The new facility ...

(1931). Three fraternal buildings are included in the district: the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

Hall (1894), the

IOOF The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Odd Fellows, Or ...

Building (1904), and the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

(1925). Two commercial buildings that are individually listed on the National Register include the Chariton Herald-Patriot Building (1918), Hotel Charitone (1923).

References

Chariton, Iowa Buildings and structures in Lucas County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Lucas County, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Historic districts in Lucas County, Iowa Italianate architecture in Iowa Neoclassical architecture in Iowa {{LucasCountyIA-NRHP-stub