Dunklin County Courthouse – Kennett MO

Description

The WPA constructed this two story brick-faced courthouse in 1939. It features rock accents and columns on the front façade, and multi-colored abstract decorative tiles adorn the entryways and windows. From the University of Missouri Extension Department of Community Development:

In 1937 the courthouse was reported in dangerous condition. The dome had sunk several inches; ceiling joists were pulled completely out of the walls, and the Circuit Court room was in danger of collapsing. The Dunklin Democrat claimed it was the worst courthouse in southeast Missouri. The building was razed in 1937. Louis Miller’s drawing was found in the cornerstone.

For the new courthouse, the Work Projects Administration offered to assist with a $150,000 building if the county would contribute one-third. The county placated local concern by agreeing not to move the site; in addition the court selected a committee of six upstanding citizens to act in an advisory capacity, representing different sections of the county. In April 1937 a bond issue was passed for $50,000 to be used in conjunction with the Work Projects Administration courthouse. The committee interviewed architects and visited courthouses in neighboring counties as well as those in Ripley, Tennessee and Jonesboro and Blytheville, Arkansas.

They selected Ernest T. Friton, St. Louis, as architect and instructed him to go to Jonesboro, Arkansas, and Ripley, Tennessee, to examine courthouses that particularly impressed them. Friton’s plan for a two-story, brick building with skeleton-type concrete construction, 116 by 75 feet, was approved. Excavation began in December 1937. The building was completed in February 1940. A special feature is a map of Dunklin County executed in the terrazzo floor. The Circuit Court room was finished in black walnut with walnut wainscoting. The cost, including furnishings, came to approximately $178,000.