The Merrick County Courthouse was built from 1911 to 1913 in

Central City In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Designed in the

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 by architect William F. Gernandt, it was built at a cost of $100,000. In 1990, it was listed in 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 ...

, but was removed from the Register in 2014.National Register List of Actions, January 10, 2014
Retrieved 2014-01-22.

History

The first courthouse in Central City, a two-story brick building, was built in 1871. In 1911, because of the deterioration of the old building, the county voted to approve a $100,000 bond to fund a new courthouse. The county records are incomplete, but construction appears to have begun in 1911, the cornerstone was laid in 1912, and it was formally dedicated on April 24, 1913.

Description

The building, designed by William F. Gernandt, has one primary and one secondary entrance. It is rectangular in shape, consisting of two main stories with an attic floor set on a raised basement. The basement was constructed of ashlar limestone and granite. The exterior is characterized by four huge ashlar limestone columns arranged along the principal facade and the large stone steps leading up to columns and the main entrance. There are also six squared brick pilasters placed between six windows on the east and west sides of the building. Inside, the central hallway on the first floor is cross-shaped. There are stairs up to the upper floors and down to the basement. The district courtroom is located on the second floor and the top floor (attic) is currently used for storage. The original interior includes hexagonal floor tile with a regularly spaced pattern in black, tan, rust, and ocher. There have been a few interior alterations—including offices with dropped ceilings and fluorescent lights—none of which significantly alter the original design. The Merrick County Courthouse was selected for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places for two reasons. First, it has historical significance at both state and local levels. Second, it has a number of features of the Classical Revival style of architecture including symmetric arrangement of elements, a raised basement, an unadorned roofline, pedirnented bays, and colossal columns.

References

External links

Central CityMerrick County
{{National Register of Historic Places Government buildings completed in 1913 Buildings and structures in Merrick County, Nebraska Neoclassical architecture in Nebraska County courthouses in Nebraska Former National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska 1913 establishments in Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Merrick County, Nebraska