Union County Courthouse (Illinois)
The Union County Courthouse is a government building in central Jonesboro, the county seat of Union County, Illinois, United States. Built in 2013, it replaced a brick structure whose core predated the Civil War.
Early history
Europeans first reached the vicinity of Union County by means of a French expedition under
Jonesboro and Anna
Jonesboro flourished into the 1850s, but the construction of the
Architectural history
By the mid-1830s, the frame courthouse of 1820 had become insufficient, and the county government ordered its removal and the construction of a brick replacement on the same lot;[2] the project was completed in 1838 at a cost of $5,000. Although the building was quite fine for the period, it was left altogether unmaintained, and the necessity of constructing a fourth courthouse began to appear before the eyes of the county officials.[1]: 360 The General Assembly passed an act in early 1853 permitting Union County to borrow $5,000 for construction (not many years after a similar act had permitted the county to borrow $1,000 to repair the previous building),[1]: 317 and the replacement building opened in 1858 at a final cost of $12,000.[1]: 360 Two stories tall with a taller central section, the building featured a small tower atop the stepped facade. In 1963, the county expanded the building by adding a two-story stone section to each side.[2] Despite these additions, the county outgrew the building within half a century, forcing some departments to use offices in other buildings, and more than $10 million in bonds was issued in 2012 to enable the construction of a replacement and the demolition of the old building. Its architects were the St. Louis office of HOK.[3] The replacement opened in August 2013.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Perrin, William H., ed. History of Alexander, Union, and Pulaski counties, Illinois. Chicago: Baskin, 1883.
- ^ a b c d Weiser, Dennis. Illinois courthouses: an illustrated history. Virginia Beach: Donning, 2009, 144.
- ^ Stewart, Brent. "After 154 years...Union County will get modern courthouse, The Southern Illinoisan, 2012-05-31. Accessed 2017-08-02.
- ^ Malkovich, Becky. "Union County welcomes new courthouse", The Southern Illinoisan, 2013-08-25. Accessed 2017-08-02.