The Bristol County Courthouse (or Bristol Statehouse) is an historic courthouse on High Street in
Bristol, Rhode Island
Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England.
The population of B ...
, USA built in 1816. It was originally one of five locations in Rhode Island which hosted the state legislature on a rotating basis, and served as the county courthouse through the 1980s. Currently the building is used for educational and community programs, meetings, and events.
The building
The architect of the
Federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
Politics
General
*Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies
*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
style courthouse is unknown; official state records of the time do not list any individual involved with the building.
There are good architectural and political reasons to believe the architect may have been
Russell Warren or possibly
John Holden Greene
John Holden Greene (1777-1850) was a noted early nineteenth century architect practicing in Providence, Rhode Island. The bulk of his work dates to the late Federal period, and is mostly in the architectural style of the same name. Greene is res ...
. The building's structure is of stone, originally faced in brick, although that has since been stuccoed over.
The original design of the interior of the building had a central staircase leading to a platform and split risers to the second floor.
In 1836, the stairs were moved in a major redesign.
History
In 1814, the state General Assembly held a competition for a new courthouse; they accepted Bristol's offer of a location on Bristol Town Common facing Bristol Harbor, which was then a major transportation hub.
The building was used between 1816 and 1854 as one of five locations for meetings of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and Senate.
In 1854 the General Assembly decided to meet only in Providence or Newport.
The building housed municipal offices and courts, in addition to the state legislature.
In the 1930s it was restored by Providence architects
Howe & Church
Wallis Eastburn Howe (1868–1960) was a notable United States, American architect from Rhode Island.
Biography
Howe was born in Philadelphia in 1868 to a family with deep roots in Bristol, RI, Bristol, Rhode Island. He was the 18th and last ch ...
.
[''Historic and Architectural Resources of Bristol, Rhode Island''. 1990.]
The building 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 1970.
The building continued as the seat of Bristol County's court until the 1980s.
The Bristol County Sheriff maintained offices there until 1997, when the building was purchased from the state for $1 by the Bristol Statehouse Foundation.
The nonprofit foundation has worked to restore and maintain the building.
Currently the building is used for education, community programs, meetings, and events.
It also serves as the headquarters for the Bristol Fourth of July Committee.
See also
*
External links
Bristol Statehouse Foundation
References
Government buildings completed in 1816
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
County courthouses in Rhode Island
Buildings and structures in Bristol, Rhode Island
1816 establishments in Rhode Island
National Register of Historic Places in Bristol County, Rhode Island
Historic district contributing properties in Rhode Island
Former state capitols in the United States
{{BristolCountyRI-NRHP-stub