Jackson County Courthouse (Bellevue, Iowa)

Jackson County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The former Jackson County Courthouse, now an elementary school.
Show map of IowaShow map of the United StatesShow all
Location	Bounded by Third, State, Fourth, and Court Sts., Bellevue, Iowa
Coordinates	42°15′27″N 90°25′34″W / 42.25750°N 90.42611°W / 42.25750; -90.42611Coordinates: 42°15′27″N 90°25′34″W / 42.25750°N 90.42611°W / 42.25750; -90.42611
Area	less than one acre
Built	1845
Architect	Dohaney & Jones
Architectural style	Greek Revival
MPS	County Courthouses in Iowa TR
NRHP reference No.	81000248[1]
Added to NRHP	July 2, 1981

The Jackson County Courthouse, also known as Old Jackson County Courthouse or Bellevue Elementary School, is a historic building and former courthouse for Jackson County, Iowa, United States. It is located in Bellevue and was built in the vernacular Greek Revival style in 1845. It currently serves as a portion of Bellevue Elementary School, the oldest functioning school in the state of Iowa.

History[]

When the Wisconsin Territory created Jackson, Jones, and Linn counties in 1837, Bellevue was named as the seat of justice for all three.^[2] Stock thief and counterfeiter W.W. Brown doctored a legitimate petition to have himself named as the organizing sheriff of Jackson County. The position went to Captain W.A. Warren instead.

Completed in 1845, this building is one of the oldest structures in Iowa used as a courthouse after Lee (1841) and Van Buren (1843) counties.^[3] It is also one of seven extant courthouse buildings in the Greek Revival style in the state. This building was a victim of the county seat rivalry that moved the Jackson County seat between Bellevue (1838–48), Andrew (1848-51), Bellevue again (1851–61), Andrew once more (1861-73), finally ending up in Maquoketa in 1873.

The courthouse was converted fully to use as a school in 1861,^[3] as of 2019 it is the pre-kindergarten through fifth grade Bellevue Elementary School in the Bellevue Community School District serving over 350 students.^[4] The original building has since been surrounded by additions. The south wing was added in 1870 and the north wing was added in 1872. A gymnasium and cafeteria were completed in the 1950s, and two 2-story classroom wings in the 1960s and 1970s. Previously, the courthouse was in a park-like, town square setting, but has since been paved with asphalt with trees removed. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1981.^[1]

Architecture[]

The Old Jackson County Courthouse is a two-story, brick, vernacular Greek Revival structure. It takes the form of a traditional Greek temple without a portico. Unadorned, 2-story wings flank the main façade to the north and south. The building is capped with a hip roof with one gable. On the roof above the arched main entrance once stood a large cupola featuring a cloister vault shaped roof and large bell. The cupola was removed sometime during the mid 20th century due to deterioration and leaks in the roof. Other decorative elements of the building include a classical pediment with a returned cornice and half-moon window as well as simple brick projecting pilasters on all three sides of the main façade. Native limestone gathered from local quarries make up the exposed rough cut foundation, window sills, lintels, and front steps. Although the interior was altered drastically numerous times throughout the past 175 years to accommodate changing education practices and modern amenities, it still retains tin ceilings (mostly covered by dropped ceilings), much of its original woodwork (although heavily painted and damaged), and its grand stairway with large wooden newel posts. Other antique features include original schoolhouse style glass light fixtures from the early 1900s, cast iron radiators, and some original window panes.

Future[]

Discussion began in 2017 to determine the future of the building. The community rejected a $16 million bond referendum that would have funded construction of a new elementary school in a field west of town on September 11, 2018, with 44% of voters approving the measure (short of the 60% supermajority required for approval). The district reduced the proposed building's square footage from 69,000 sq. ft. to 56,000 sq. ft. and voted on a $14.5 million referendum on April 2, 2019. The referendum was again rejected by the community with only 46% voter approval. Despite the community repeatedly voicing their desire to keep and maintain the historic building and campus, the school administration has continued to ignore the value of having a monument to our living cultural heritage at the center of town, and is continuing efforts to abandon the historic property.

See also[]

• Jackson County Courthouse (Maquoketa, Iowa)

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jackson County Courthouse-Bellevue Elementary.