Cass County Courthouse (PWA 1934) - Atlantic, Iowa
Times were tough in 1932. When Cass County's 1888 courthouse burned, the referendum to replace it failed. By the next year FDR's Public Works Administration was in place, so the county applied for a grant and this structure became the first courthouse in Iowa to be built with PWA funding.
It was designed by Des Moines architects Dougher, Rich & Woodburn and built by the C.C. Larsen Company of Council Bluffs in a style now known as PWA Moderne. The exterior is buff-colored brick with Bedford limestone trim. (That's Indiana limestone, kids! Quarried between Bedford and Bloomington. Think "The Cutters" from Breaking Away. Just thought you'd want to know that. ; )
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of Iowa Multiple Properties Submission.
I know it might seem boxy and ugly to some, but when you really get to looking, these PWA courthouses are streamlined jewels with some sweet deco touches. See detail shots below in the comments section.
Cass County Courthouse (PWA 1934) - Atlantic, Iowa
Times were tough in 1932. When Cass County's 1888 courthouse burned, the referendum to replace it failed. By the next year FDR's Public Works Administration was in place, so the county applied for a grant and this structure became the first courthouse in Iowa to be built with PWA funding.
It was designed by Des Moines architects Dougher, Rich & Woodburn and built by the C.C. Larsen Company of Council Bluffs in a style now known as PWA Moderne. The exterior is buff-colored brick with Bedford limestone trim. (That's Indiana limestone, kids! Quarried between Bedford and Bloomington. Think "The Cutters" from Breaking Away. Just thought you'd want to know that. ; )
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as a part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of Iowa Multiple Properties Submission.
I know it might seem boxy and ugly to some, but when you really get to looking, these PWA courthouses are streamlined jewels with some sweet deco touches. See detail shots below in the comments section.