The Madison County Courthouse is located in

Winterset, Iowa Winterset is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Iowa. The population was 5,353 at the time of the 2020 census. Winterset is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area. It is the birthplace of actor John Wayne. History Winterset ...

, 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 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. It was included as a

contributing property 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 distri ...

in the

Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Winterset, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. At the time of its nomination ...

in 2015. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

History

Madison County was organized in 1850 and Winterset was chosen as the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

the same year. The first court sessions were held in different stores and taverns. The county's first courthouse was a double log structure built in 1849 on Monumental Square in Winterset. The building was also used for a school, church, and resting spot for travelers. It was replaced by a stone courthouse designed by G.P. Randall and built beginning in 1868. It was a Greek cross-shaped structure composed of locally quarried

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

that was capped with an octagonal dome. There was a jail on the second floor. The building was destroyed in a fire of October 2, 1875. The remains of the burnt courthouse were salvaged and used in the construction of the new courthouse. The present courthouse was begun in 1876. It was designed by

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

architect

Alfred H. Piquenard Alfred H. Piquenard (1826-1876) was an American architect. Born in France, he studied at Paris' Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures before emigrating to the United States as part of the Icarian movement. After leaving the Icarians, he began wor ...

who along with

John C. Cochrane John Crombie Cochrane (1835–1887) was a prominent architect in the 19th century practicing in Chicago, Illinois. He formed Cochrane and Garnsey with George O. Garnsey. He began work in Davenport, Iowa in 1856, moving to St. Louis in 1858 aft ...

was also responsible for the designs of the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and

Iowa State Capitol The Iowa State Capitol, commonly called the Iowa Statehouse, is in Iowa's capital city, Des Moines. As the seat of the Iowa General Assembly, the building houses the Iowa Senate, Iowa House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor, and the ...

s. with The building was completed in 1878 for about $120,000. It is located on the same public square as the previous courthouses surrounded by commercial buildings.

Architecture

The courthouse is significant for its architecture. It is noteworthy for its stone construction and its rather simple interpretation of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Renaissance Revival style. The structure is very similar to the second courthouse, but its decorative details are more refined. The two buildings have the same dimensions. The stone that had been salvaged from the previous courthouse had to be recut. Additional stone was acquired from a local quarry. Each of the four elevations of the building are identical and feature a columned portico over an entryway. A silver-colored dome reaches a height of and it contains a bell and a four-faced clock. The interior features woodwork of solid walnut.

References

External links

{{NRHP in Madison County, Iowa Winterset, Iowa Renaissance Revival architecture in Iowa Government buildings completed in 1878 Buildings and structures in Madison County, Iowa County courthouses in Iowa Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Clock towers in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Madison County, Iowa Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa