Courthouses (State & Local) Sites

The historic Cherokee County Courthouse in Centre, Alabama was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $30,897 grant for the project, whose total cost was $69,082. Construction occurred between February and September 1937. PWA Docket No. AL W1112.

Cherokee County completed its current courthouse in 1941 with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration. The courthouse is a three-story center block on basement with two-story wings on either side. The Moderne style structure, designed by the firm of Gill & Bennett, is built of native red and white limestone and features Art Deco details.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a sizable public building improvement project in Brooklyn, New York beginning in 1935.  The project involved the "Improvement of Public Buildings and Offices" at more than 30 locations, including the no-longer-extant Children's Court building at 113(?) Schermerhorn St.

The historic Childress County Courthouse in downtown Childress, Texas was built with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a grant of $101,250 toward the project, whose total cost was $223,635. Construction occurred between November 1938 and November 1939. The New Deal building replaced a 1891 courthouse. PWA Docket No. TX W1472.

This historic, two-story Art Deco courthouse has been designated a Mississippi Landmark.

It is likely that the PWA conducted repairs on the 1894 City and County Building in Salt Lake following an earthquake in 1934, considering that the building appears in the PWA archives. More information is needed to confirm. From the National Register of Historic Places: "There are four entrances, the west side being the main one. In design it corresponds to the east entrance, as the south and north approaches correspond to each other in a simpler design. Above each of them there used to be a statue; the east and west were crowned by a statue of Commerce, on the...

The former combination city hall and library in Artesia, New Mexico was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1939. The PWA provided a $13,975 grant for the project, whose total cost was $31,250. Construction began at the end of December 1938 and the building was completed in July 1939. Artesia Walking Tour: brought several City departments together under the same roof, including the City Clerk, City Manager, and the Public Library. The WPA Sewing Room also was there, as well as an assembly room for public meetings. In later years, the Police and Fire departments...

In 1938 Hampton, Virginia's historic city hall building was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds.The PWA contributed $24,545 toward the project, whose final cost was $77,193. (PWA Docket No. VA 1074.). In 2006, the building was converted into Kingsway Apartments.

Members of the Clackamas County Planning Board announced during the summer of 1935 that the fifty-one-year old Courthouse represented a fire hazard as well as no longer being adequate for the county's business. Citing the possibility of obtaining PWA funds for the construction of a new courthouse, they encouraged architects to submit plans for the proposed structure. By the fall, the Planning Board had selected the drawings of Francis Marion Stokes, a well-known Portland architect, requested an outright grant of $90,000 from the Public Works Administration, and proposed a means of raising the county's fifty-five percent contribution to the project....

"There were nine PWA-financed courthouses constructed in South Dakota during the Depression era. Although designs were not standardized, most were three or four story buildings designed in variations of the Moderne styles. Building materials and finishes included brick, stone, concrete, terra cotta, terrazzo floors, marble, wood, steel casement windows, and cast metal ornamentation. Most courthouses from this era are distinguished by their massing and form. Typically larger, block-like buildings on elevated bases, courthouses usually display symmetry with a central entrance and uniformly placed window bays. Detailed surrounds and/or projecting bays often emphasize the central entrance. Interior character-defining features generally include...

This building is currently listed under the National Historic Registry. Built in 1936 as the Fifth Street School, it replaced a school that had burned down in 1934. It was remodeled as an annex to the Clark Country Courthouse and is currently used as an arts and culture center, with a gallery. Funding for construction of the school, also known as Las Vegas Grammar School, at 400 Las Vegas Blvd. South was provided by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). According to a local historic district nomination: "Then, following a major fire in May 1934 which gutted the city's old high school (which...

The historic Clearwater County Courthouse was constructed in 1937-8 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a grant of $29,250 for the project, whose total cost was $90,358. Foss and Company of Fargo, N.D. designed the building, which was built by Hendenburg and Company. The PWA Moderne-style building has since been remodeled and added to. PWA Project Minn. 1196

The felony division courthouse for Clermont County, Ohio, was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1936. The original Clermont County courthouse was built in 1829 by Arch/Contr- Ezekiel Dimmit. The new one that still stands today was built 1936 by Arch-Hunt & Allen. It was dedicated on December 19, 1936 at a Erected cost of $115,000. It replaced the oldest court building in State of Ohio.

"In 1938 the PWA officials approved a $94,000 grant for a new courthouse and jail, with the remaining funds to be secured by a county bond issue. Noted OKC architect Walter T. Vahlgert designed the new courthouse directly in front of the existing courthouse which continued to function while the new courthouse was being built. Tankersley Construction Company of Oklahoma City constructed the courthouse at a total cost of $209,090. The combination of the Classical Revival form with Art Deco ornamentation was popular for public construction projects in the late 1930's and early 1940's, particularly for projects funded by the PWA....

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania's historic Clinton County Courthouse was built in 1867. It was expanded during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $44,730 grant for the project, whose total cost was $115,651. Construction occurred between May 1936 and May 1937. PWA Docket No. PA W1094

The historic Colfax County Courthouse was constructed with the assistance of the federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.). The P.W.A. provided a $110,455 grant for the project, whose total cost was $272,377. Construction occurred between 1936 and 1937. Santa Fe Trail: The Colfax County Courthouse is a five-story blond brick building typical of the 1936 Art Deco style architecture. Embellishments include glazed tile cornices, bas-reliefs depicting local farming, mining & cattle raising, art deco light fixtures and local cattlebrands are bronzed over exterior doors. Terrazzo floors, tile wainscoating, chipped-tile roof on top story and flat roofs on lower areas make for quite an...

Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina was constructed in 1823 with additions constructed in 1936 and 1939. Short and Stanley-Brown: "This project consisted of additions to the courthouse and the construction of two-story reinforced-concrete jail."

The current Colorado County Courthouse was built between 1889 and 1891. In 1939, the Works Progress Administration was involved in excavating a basement for the courthouse for more office space. The WPA also coated the building with a cement mixture to seal the bricks against moisture. The workers applied cream colored paint to the exterior, green to the window frames and white to the dome cornices. The dome was given a coat of aluminum paint in order to make it appear silver, and the clock was repaired.

"The art deco or "modern-style" Comanche County Courthouse stands in the center of Comanche, Texas. It was built in 1939 with limestone from a local quarry, thanks in part to WPA funds. The architect was Wyatt C. Hedrick. With its nice stonework, this is said to be one of the best WPA courthouses in Texas."   (https://www.virtualtourist.com)

The Concordia Parish Courthouse was undertaken in Vidalia, Louisiana during the Great Depression with the assistance of funds provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The "Greco-Deco" courthouse in Vidalia was erected due to the need to relocate the town for flood control of the Mississippi River. The WPA relocated businesses and houses, as well as constructed the new parish courthouse. Constructed for a cost of $109,950, the building remains in use as the parish library and records storage.

"The growth of the petrochemical industry in the southern part of Jefferson County in the early 1930s resulted in the need for extended county government services. State legislation was required in order to enable the county to build a "subcourthouse" in Port Arthur. Introduced in the Legislature by local elected officials, a bill was passed on April 30, 1931, and plans were made to build a new south county office facility to serve this part of the county. Funded as a project of the Federal Public Works Administration (PWA), construction of the building began on August 10, 1935, and was...

This Brooklyn courthouse was constructed by the PWA in 1938 and today still houses a New York appellate court. A 1939 PWA publication described the then new courthouse: "This building houses the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, Second Division, State of New York, and is in the Borough Hall section of the city, near other city and State buildings. On the first floor it contains a courtroom 55 by 57 feet which extends through the second story in height. The judge's chambers, court officials' rooms, and a large library, 38 by 58 feet, are also included. The plan is rectangular in...

The Queens County Supreme Court building in Jamaica was constructed as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project. Short and Stanley-Brown: "This structure houses the 23 civil courts of Queens County and provides quarters for the judges, the clerk of the city court, the grand jury, the district attorney, and the county clerk. In addition, it provides offices for the naturalization bureau, the motor-vehicle bureau, the bar association, the supreme-court board, and the law library. The building is fireproof, of steel-frame construction, and the exterior is of limestone. The courtrooms are air-conditioned. It is seven stories in height, with two mezzanine floors, and...

The CWA was involved in repairs to the aging county courthouse which had been built in 1874 to replace an 1836 building. A few years later in 1939, a new county courthouse was built by the PWA in Hope Arkansas when the county seat was moved. Both the original 1836 and 1874 courthouses (which is the visitor center) can be visited at Historic Washington State Park.

"The new Sebastian County Courthouse at Fort Smith has six floors, counting the semi-basement and the central penthouse of two floors devoted entirely to the jail. On the basement floor is a large assembly hall, the police department, miscellaneous offices, and storage space for supplies and for cars. The first, or main floor contains the council room and offices for the mayor, tax collector, assessor, clerk, engineer, and local utilities. The circuit, municipal, and chancery courts are on the second floor with offices for the judges, clerks, and reporters. The third floor has offices for attorneys and officials connected with...

Grenada County was approved for WPA project 40079 for rehabilitation of the 1885 courthouse. The project was allotted $11,308 to include improving the boiler room, plastering, painting, and improving floors along with rearranging office space. The Grenada County Board of Supervisors sponsored the WPA project to repair the county court house. The project began January 13 and used an average 34 WPA workers for six months. The state legislature passed legislation for $6,000 county bonds to cover the sponsor portion of the work. The House passed the measure January 18 for funds to be used in match to the federal...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was involved in fixing up the Lake Village County Courthouse, likely repairing the damage from a bad Mississippi River flood in 1927 that had caused massive damage to Arkansas. The original courthouse was constructed in 1857 when the county seat was moved to Lake Village and replaced in 1907 with a neoclassical design building. Foundation problems caused the replacing of the court with the current art deco style of building in 1956.

Located on the ceiling of the courtroom in the former US Post Office and Courthouse (now used by Tennessee Appellate court), von Wicht's unblinded "Goddess of Justice" is reclining atop the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

The CWA did repairs to the Garland County courthouse in Hot Springs. The Garland County Courthouse is located at Ouachita Avenue and Hawthorne Street in Hot Springs (Garland County). The four-story brick building is recognized by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program to be both architecturally and historically significant, with one source calling it perhaps the finest example of Renaissance Revival–style architecture in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Garland County Courthouse was constructed as a rectangular building with central bays projecting from its northern and southern sides. It featured a domed...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) was involved in minor repairs and upgrading of the White County courthouse in Searcy. The present White County Courthouse, completed in 1871 and remodeled in 1912, is the oldest Arkansas courthouse still being used for its original purpose. The first story is constructed of cut stone, while brick is used on the second floor. The circuit/chancery courtroom has been restored to its original condition. The large clock tower includes an 1855 bell which resembles the Liberty Bell.

The WPA constructed this annex to the 1920s Craig County Courthouse in the early 1940s, but it didn't remain connected to the courthouse for long. After WWII, the building housed a candy factory. The rear of the building was destroyed due to an electrical fire in 2012, but the remainder of the building, now privately owned, is still in use.

The Craighead County Courthouse, an Art Deco style building located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, was constructed in 1934-1935 with the aid of funds provided by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). The Arkansas General Assembly established Craighead County and established Jonesboro as the seat in 1859. For nearly thirty years, three different buildings served as the county courthouse. In 1885, a two-story brick building with a four-story clock tower was constructed after a fire. By 1933, the building was razed and the stage was set for the new courthouse to be constructed. Elmer Stuck, a prominent local architect, designed the Depression-era...

The historic Curry County Courthouse (and jail) in Clovis, New Mexico was developed as a New Deal project in 1936. The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) provided a $73,507 grant for the project, whose total cost was $163,388. P.W.A. Docket No. N.M. 1015

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Dade County Courthouse in Greenfield. The courthouse was designed in Classical Revival Style by the architectural firm of Fred C. Bonsack and Harvey J. Pearce, from St. Louis. The contractor was C F Rinehart Construction Company of St. Louis. "The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $32,108 grant for construction of the Date County courthouse in Greenfield, Missouri. Total cost of the project was $117,960. Construction occurred between 1934 and 1936. PWA Docket No. MO 4610"  

The Davidson County Public Building and Courthouse on the Public Square in Nashville was constructed in 1936 to 1938 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA).  This enormous, 8-story building covers an entire city block and was built to house county and municipal offices, plus several courtrooms.  The county jail was originally on the 7th floor.  Short & Stanley-Brown (1939) put the cost of the project at $2,167,000 but no not give the share provided by the PWA.  Paine (1984) says the project cost $1,595,000 and that the city raised $400,000 for it in a public bond issue.  We have...

"The Davison County Courthouse is a flat-roofed, rectangular, four-story, reinforced concrete building with a Minnesota Sandstone veneer constructed in the Art Deco style. The front and sides are symmetrical. A stone foundation rises to just below the level of the first floor windows. On each corner there is a one story projecting bay. The projecting areas and the lack of decorative elements on the first floor create the appearance of a podium upon which the upper three stories rest. The facade contains seven vertical rows of windows separated by piers which rise from the...

The historic Dawes County Courthouse in Chadron, Nebraska was constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $44,893 grant for the project, whose total cost was $99,771. Construction occurred between January 1936 and January 1937. PWA Docket No. NE 1013.

Constructed by the PWA in 1939.

This courthouse was built by the WPA in 1941. "This is a rectangular structure consisting of a central three-story unit and two single story wing units. It is constructed of rusticated and coursed native limestone... A concrete frieze along the top portion of the central unit adds decorative detail to the building. Unfortunately the building has been altered. A third story has been added the south wing... Seldom did the WPA undertake projects of this magnitude... Surely the structure is the most distinctively beautiful of any county courthouse built by the WPA in Oklahoma."   (Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory)

Starting in 1938, the Work Projects Administration (WPA) demolished the 1900 Delta County Courthouse in Cooper and built a new $110,450 four-story courthouse that was finished in 1940. The architect of record was Hoke Smith (1896-1943).