Greene County Courthouse (Iowa)

The Greene County Courthouse, located in Jefferson, Iowa, United States, was built in 1918. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.^[1] In 2011, it was included as a contributing property in the Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District.^[2] The courthouse is the third structure to house court functions and county administration. The courthouse features the Mahany Tower, a 120 feet bell tower.

History

The first courthouse in Greene County was a frame building built in 1856 for $1,825. Prior to that time the county officers were housed in the Thomas Phillips Building. The second courthouse was completed in 1870 for $37,000. The building featured a bell in the cupola that served as a fire alarm, called the court into session and announced curfew.^[3] The present courthouse was dedicated in 1917 and was built at a cost of $200,000.^[4]

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The interior of the building is organized around the central rotunda, which extends through from the basement to the attic. The rotunda floor features a 14 feet (4.3 m) mosaic tile reproduction of the county seal, and the ceiling is a stained glass dome. William Peaco painted the four murals that adorn the inner dome. They are entitled: The Buffalo Hunt, The Emigrants, The Pioneer and The Modern Farm.

Mahanay Tower

The bell tower was built at a cost of $350,000 and funded by the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Mahanay and dedicated on October 16, 1966. The 165-foot (50 m) tower is in the Brutalist style with a three concave sides and contains 14 bells cast by the Petit & Fritsen Bell Foundry in Aarle-Rixtel in the Netherlands. The bells chime on the quarter-hour and can be operated by an electric keyboard. The tower has an observation deck at 120 feet (37 m) that is accessed via a glass elevator.^[5]

References

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