Benton County Courthouse (Iowa)

Benton County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	E. 4th St. Vinton, Iowa
Coordinates	42°10′5″N 92°1′25″W / 42.16806°N 92.02361°WCoordinates: 42°10′5″N 92°1′25″W / 42.16806°N 92.02361°W
Built	1906
Built by	George Rickman & Sons
Architect	Bell & Detweiler
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
MPS	County Courthouses in Iowa TR
NRHP Reference #	76000733 [1]
Added to NRHP	October 8, 1976

The Benton County Courthouse, located in Vinton, Iowa, United States, was built in 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.^[1] The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

History

Benton County’s first courthouse was a log structure, but it did not have a roof or floor, so the court met in a log home during inclement weather. Because of a dispute over the location of the county seat the second courthouse stood unfinished until 1852, and was destroyed by fire the following year. The county’s third courthouse was built at a cost of $13,000 and dedicated in December 1856. The present courthouse was completed in 1906 for $105,000.^[2]

Architecture

Designed by Bell & Detweiler of Minneapolis,^[3] the Beaux Arts style building features a 112-foot (34 m) central tower.^[4] It contains a four-faced illuminated clock, a 1,500-pound (680 kg) B-flat bell and is topped with a dome.^[2] The exterior of the building is clad in Buckeye gray sandstone.

References

1. National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. "Benton County Courthouse". Iowa Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
3. Improvement Bulletin 22 July 1905: 16.
4. Stanek, Edward and Jacqueline (1976). Iowa's Magnificent County Courthouses. Des Moines: Wallace-Homestead. p. 18. ISBN 0-87069-189-9.