Miner County Courthouse - Howard SD

City:: Howard, SD
Site Type:: Civic Facilities, Auxiliary Civic Facilities, Courthouses (State & Local)
New Deal Agencies:: Public Works Funding, Public Works Administration (PWA)
Designer:: Kings and Dixon

Description

"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 public lobbies, courtrooms, judges' chambers, and smaller offices. Occasionally courthouses were adorned with murals or sculpture sponsored by federal arts projects."

"Courthouses constructed with PWA funding include Hughes County (1933), Clark County (1935), and Lake County (1935), all desinged by architects Hugill and Blatherwick of Sioux Falls. Architects Kings and Dixon of Mitchell designed the McCook County (1934), Miner County (1936), Davidson County (1937), and Aurora County (1939) courthouses. The Campbell County (1937) and the Edmunds County (1934) Courthouses were designed by Roland R. Wilcken of Aberdeen."

Source notes

National Register of Historic Places, Multiple Property Documentation Form, "Federal Relief Construction in South Dakota, 1929-1941." Prepared by Michelle L. Dennis, September 1998.