Cassia County Courthouse - Burley ID

City:: Burley, ID
Site Type:: Civic Facilities, Courthouses (State & Local)
New Deal Agencies:: Public Works Funding, Public Works Administration (PWA)
Quality of Information:: Very Good
Marked:: Unknown
Site Survival:: Extant

Description

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded roughly half the cost of the construction of a new courthouse for Cassia County, in Burley, Idaho. A grant of $53,000 was offered to the county in 1938 and constrution began that year. The building, which included a jail, was completed in 1939 – as proudly carved above the entrance.

The County Courthouse is a substantial two and a half story brick building with a central tower, slightly recessed, jutting up another story. The design is Moderne (Art Deco) with four low-relief pillars on each side and up the central portion, each topped with decorative white tiles. The flat roof is bordered by a line of white tile.

Above the central entrance is a tile bas-relief eagle and above that is an abstract filigree figure, again in tile (terra cotta).

The entrance has been altered by a glassed-in cover over the steps, no doubt to deal with inclement weather. We were not able to gain entry to see the the interior or find a PWA plaque in the lobby.

Source notes

National Archives and Record Administration. Record Group 135: Public Works Administration, Projects Control Division, Entry 52. Indices to Non-Federal Projects, Report No. 5: Status of All Completed Non-Federal Allotted Projects, Region No. 6. p .202.

Site originally submitted by Joan Greer on October 3, 2023.
Additional contributions by Evan Kalish.