Courthouses (State & Local) Sites

The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) undertook improvement work at the Laurel County Courthouse in London, Kentucky: "Wiring, Painting, Roofing, Stairways, Flooring, and Window Repairs," in addition to "Extensive General Repairs and Painting."

The three-story, brick and cast stone Art Deco courthouse was constructed 1935-36 as Public Works Administration (PWA) Project Miss. 1042. It was remodeled in 1976.

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 old Lee Avenue Court Building.

Volume II of a 1978 report entitled 100 Courthouses, A Report on North Carolina Judicial Facilities states the county sold bonds to build a new court house in 1939, but that the construction was "under the guidance of the Federal Works Administration." According to the report, the architects, A. Mitchell Wooten and John J. Rowland, designed a "rare and important example of the sleek modern style."

Bronson, Florida's historic Levy County Courthouse was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $22,500 grant for the project, whose total cost was $58,717. Construction occurred between February and August 1937. The building is still in use today. Wikipedia: "The Levy County Courthouse, built in 1937, is an historic redbrick Classical Revival style courthouse building located in Bronson, Florida. It was designed by architect Henry L. Taylor and built by O. R. Woodcock. It is Levy County's fourth purpose-built courthouse and the third one built in Bronson. Some material salvaged from the previous...

Hohenwald, Tennessee's historic Lewis County Courthouse was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Constructed in PWA Moderne style, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Construction of the Lexington County Courthouse during the 1930s was enabled by funds provided by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). From the building's National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: "The Lexington County Courthouse is a two-story red brick and limestone building located at 139 East Main Street on the eastern end of the core commercial downtown area of the town of Lexington, South Carolina. Laid in a variation of American or common bond, it is bordered on the east by South Lake Drive, on the south by Maiden Lane, and by neighboring commercial buildings on the west, and it is...

The Lincoln County Courthouse (is) truly a story of two buildings in one as the mid-1930s Art Deco-styled courthouse received a totally new front, in a contemporary style, in the 1970s as the town and county expanded in the wake of the federal spending in constructing Libby Dam. The rectangular blockiness, flat roof, and band of windows set within a symmetrical facade makes the courthouse one of the state’s best designs for a rural public building in the late 20th century. Sometimes misattributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the project was enabled by Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a...

The Lincoln County Courthouse in Pioche, Nevada was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. "In 1937 Lincoln County began to receive the proceeds of a major boom in lead and zinc mining that ran through the 1950s and provided a major portion of the county's tax revenues. As the old county courthouse deteriorated, sentiment grew to replace it, resulting in a 1937 bond issue. At the same time the county received a grant of $26,800 from the Public Works Administration toward 45% of the cost of a new courthouse. The PWA money carried conditions, one of which was a...

The WPA built the Lincoln County courthouse in Star City between 1941 and 1943. The building was designed by the architectural firm Wittenberg & Delony, financed with a WPA grant of $135,000, and built with the assistance of WPA laborers.

"The old Lincoln County Court House where Billy the Kid made his famous escape was restored with help from WPA funds." -Phyllis Banks

The original Lincoln County Courthouse in Brookhaven, Mississippi was remodeled in 1933 by the Civil Works Administration. It was demolished in 1978-1979.

"The Lincoln County Court House in Carrizozo was a product of this time but it is now an annex to the main court house. The Women's Club proudly displays 1939 on its wall, another Pueblo Revival style of architecture. The curbs and sidewalks were made of rock, as was the sculpture of a spider occupying a prominent place in the park, all built with WPA funds." -Phyllis Banks

The federal Public Works Administration (PWA) provided $13,909 grant towards a repair project for Loudon, Tennessee's county courthouse during the Great Depression. The total cost of the project, undertaken in 1936, was $30,909.

Lyon County Courthouse in Yerington, Nevada was constructed in 1912. During the mid-1930s the building received an addition enabled in part by federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. "In 1936, the existing west half of the building was added at a cost of $40,000." (NPS nomination form) The PWA provided a grant of $18,000 toward the project, whose final cost was $46,006. Construction began in Dec. 1935 and was completed Apr. 1936. (PWA Docket No. NV 2538.)

The present Mackinac County Courthouse replaced an 1880s structure on the same site. Effectively dismantled to the foundation and rebuilt as a new facility, the project was originally approved as a remodeling. Construction of the modern structure was undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). W.P.A. Project No. 49-1-249

The historic, Art Deco, Macon County Courthouse (a.k.a. Macon County Building) in Decatur, Illinois was constructed as a New Deal project with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds.

"Plans were announced in 1939 for construction of the present courthouse by the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. The new building was approved in the November 8 general election and a $90,090 allotment was provided. A new site was selected at 1 Main Street and three houses were sold and moved to make way for the new courthouse. ... The dedication ceremony was held on November 30, 1939. Congressman Clyde T. Ellis of the Third Congressional District delivered the dedicatory address. The building was lauded for its up-to-date fixtures and modern courtroom and jail." "The Madison County Courthouse is ......

The historic Madison County Courthouse at 100 E Main St. in Jackson, Tennessee was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the Great Depression. "This project consisted of a building 160 by 65 feet in plan and 4 stories and a basement in height. The basement contains offices for the county agent, farm welfare, the Red Cross, the health department, and a receiving room for the jail. On the first floor are the offices for the county clerk, registrar, county superintendent, tax assessor, sheriff, and county judge. The second floor is occupied by 2 courtrooms each 35 by...

Madison Parish Courthouse was completed in 1939 in the Colonial Revival style by the PWA and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The criminal court building in Manhattan was constructed with the assistance of the PWA in the late 1930s, for a cost of $14 million.  Construction began in 1938 and was completed in 1941. The site, once known as Collect Pond, was formerly occupied by an 1894 Criminal Courthouse and prison – known as 'The Tombs".  That name is sometimes still used for the present building. The seventeen-story building is composed of four towers, with the tall center tower done in the step-back style popular in the 1920s and 30s. The facade is granite and limestone and the windows and spandrel form long, unbroken, vertical bands. The...

Completed in 1942, this Work Projects Administration building features native Missouri stone and concrete. The building was designed by architect Mason C. Abbitt from Jefferson City, MO. Construction occurred in two stages and the facility includes a county jail.

The striking Art Deco-style Marinette County Courthouse was constructed in 1941-2, and its construction was tied to F.D.R.'s New Deal. At the time, a project of this scale would have likely proceeded with a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) grant; however the local government's application for such funding assistance fell through. The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) would become involved with multiple aspects of the courthouse's development: razing the previous courthouse on the site; construction of the new building; and landscaping the sidewalks and property surrounding the new structure.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at Marshall County Courthouse in Plymouth, Indiana. The agency also "bettered" the highway garage, jail, and infirmary (locations unknown).

An addition to the old Martin County courthouse in Stuart, Florida was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The facility now serves as a cultural center. The PWA supplied a $12,272 grant for the project, whose total cost was $26,886. Construction occurred between March and June 1937. Wikipedia: "The Old Martin County Court House, built in 1937, is an historic Art Deco style courthouse building located at 80 East Ocean Boulevard in Stuart, Martin County, Florida. ... On November 7, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The building was designed by architect L....

The Massac County Courthouse in Metropolis is one of six New Deal county courthouses built by the New Deal.  It would have been funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), not the WPA, as commonly thought. The design, by architect S. Lester Daly, is Federal style.  It is a brick building, two-stories high with a raised basement. It has a formal, column-flanked main entrance and side entrances reached by white stairways.  In a classic piece of Americana, the courthouse location has been renamed 1 Superman Square and a statue of the cartoon character stands on a plinth saying “TRUTH – JUSTICE –...

"The McCook County Courthouse consists of a hip-roofed, rectangular, three-story building constructed of concrete clad with brick in the Art Deco style. The front and sides are symmetrical with seven bays on the front and five on each side. There is a contrasting stone base rising to the sills of the first floor windows. The ground floor is slightly projecting and topped with a contrasting stone belt course, giving the appearance that the upper two floors rest on a raised foundation or pedestal. The center bay on the facade has an entrance framed by a slightly projecting stone surround. On...

The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) undertook improvement work (e.g., painting) at the McCreary County Courthouse in Whitley City, Kentucky.

A new courthouse was built for McKinley County in Gallup NM in 1938.  It was undoubtedly funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), but this needs to be verified. "The historic McKinley County Courthouse at 201 West Hill Avenue was designed and built in 1938 by the architectural firm of Trost and Trost of El Paso, Texas, in the 'picturesque' Spanish Pueblo Revival Style with typical stepped-back Pueblo massing. The bell tower has battered walls and vigas. Upper stories contain wooden caged projecting bays and stylized vigas, with vertical indentations allowing for windows. Posts, wood beams and corbels define the main...

The Works Progress Administration renovated the Medina County Courthouse between 1938-1940. Excerpt from the historical market installed at the Medina County Courthouse: "Between 1939 and 1942, changes to the courthouse were made, including the addition of two two-story wings. Stone for the new wings was secured again from limestone deposits on the Decker Ranch. The classical revival courthouse exhibits some influences of the Italianate style. Prominent features include the rusticated stone walls, classical portico over the entryway, a broken triangular pediment, and stone hood molds.

The historic Menominee County Courthouse received an addition constructed as Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project. The addition extended the building south, toward 9th Ave. P.W.A. supplied a $28,228 grant for the project, whose total cost was $62,878. Construction occurred in 1937-8. PWA Docket No. MI 1419

This Moderne-style of Art Deco courthouse was completed in 1939 by the WPA. The architect was E. C. Seibert, whose firm helped design the U. S. Post Office and Courthouse located in downtown Texarkana in 1931. Seibert was mayor of Texarkana at the time he designed and supervised construction of the Miller County Courthouse.

"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 large...

"Mitchell County is a prosperous agricultural district. Its sound financial condition aided by a grant from the PWA enabled it to erect a court house building and a jail building both much needed in the county. The upper picture shows the court house which is two stories high with partial basement, and the lower picture shows the jail. The plan is the first floor of the court house. The first floor accommodates the various county officials and the second floor houses the courtroom, judges' offices, jury room, and witness rooms. The exterior brick walls are faced with marble....

The Public Works Administration (PWA) helped fund construction of the magnificent Monterey County courthouse in downtown Salinas, California, which opened in 1937. New Deal funds supplemented a local bond issue to cover the cost of this large building, which covers a square block.   The cornerstone makes it clear that New Deal funding came from the PWA, not the Works Progress Administration (WPA), as claimed by the nearby historical marker. This is a common mistake, given the similarity of PWA and WPA. Robert Stanton was the architect and the design is Classical Moderne.  It was built with a large courtyard, which originally surrounded...

Cortez, Colorado's historic Montezuma County Courthouse was constructed during the Great Depression. The project was enabled by federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a grant of $29,235 toward the project, whose eventual total cost was $64,966. Construction occurred between October 1936 and July 1937. The building, which has since been added to, is still in use today. PWA Docket No. CO 1082

"In the midst of the Great Depression, the county commissioners took advantage of a federal construction grant from the Public Works Administration to match county funds toward the erection of a new courthouse to replace a 1907 building. The 1936 courthouse is a good example of the Art Deco style and an important work by the major Colorado architect Eugene G. Groves. During the lean Depression years, Groves stayed busy completing commissions on several PWA-funded projects."

This building was constructed as Springville's municipal and fire hall building by the WPA in 1936-1937. It no longer appears to house the fire department, but continues to serve as a municipal building housing the police department, court and other offices.

The historic post office building in Edmond, Oklahoma, now the Edmond Municipal Court and Courthouse, was constructed during the Great Depression with federal Treasury Department funds. The building was completed in 1938.

The Natchitoches Parish Courthouse was undertaken in Natchitoches, Louisiana during the Great Depression with the assistance of funds provided by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The facilities were part of the largest wave of courthouse construction in Louisiana history, with eleven total courthouses erected in the period of  1936-1940. The Natchitoches courthouse was one of only two of these projects undertaken with substantial use of bas-relief sculpture common in PWA architecture. "The entrance to the Natchitoches building is flanked with two huge American Indian chiefs" (Leighninger, 2007, p. 116) and is designed in the Art Deco style. It was constructed for...