Time Machine: Johnson County Courthouse

JOHNSON COUNTY - The stately Johnson County Courthouse will reach its 115th anniversary this year, but it wasn't the county's first.

The first two courthouses preceded Iowa City. The original, a two-story log cabin, was in the first county seat, Napoleon. The second, constructed of wood, was about two miles north of Napoleon in a hilly area that became Iowa City in 1839.

The third courthouse, built in 1857 after courthouse No. 2 burned down, was made of brick. When it became too small to hold all of the county's business, a brick shed was built behind the structure with a fireproof safe to store valuable records. After Courthouse No. 3 weathered decades of storms and wind, its walls shook so badly a judge feared holding court there.

A campaign for a new Johnson County Courthouse to replace it commenced, but prospects didn't look good. Some residents argued they couldn't afford more taxes, others thought the old courthouse was good enough, and one local paper actively campaigned against spending the money.

The debate culminated in a vote on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 1899.

When the ballots were counted, the proposition to spend $90,000 for a new courthouse and $10,000 for a new jail had passed. The north half of the county had voted yes, while the southern and western townships had voted no. One contingent 'voted in the negative out of spite,” according to The Gazette.

'The people over at Oxford have no particular love for Iowa City,” the paper reported, 'and they simply would not vote to see the county seat get the proposed improvement.”

The Johnson County Supervisors sold the third courthouse at the end of March 1899 for $900. Salvagers began tearing it down to make way for the new one.

The plans for the new Berea sandstone courthouse were drawn by architect A.W. Rush of Grand Rapids, Mich., who picked a Gothic-Romanesque Revival design.

In July, the supervisors announced that the contract for building the new courthouse had been let to Rowson and Monke of Michigan, who bid $76,650. The firm promptly put up a $20,000 bond for completion of the work. In December, C.E. Fawcett of Cedar Rapids won the contract for the building's lighting. Even though Fawcett's was the highest bid submitted, he was awarded the contract because of the quality of his work.

The courthouse was predicted to be finished and ready for occupancy on April 1, 1901, but it didn't officially open until June 8, 1901. The cost well exceeded $100,000.

Iowa City's Commercial Club decided to forego Fourth of July festivities in 1901 to concentrate on the courthouse dedication. Thousands of people from all over the county were present to witness the ceremony and tour the new courthouse. They saw, in addition to a 200-seat courtroom, marble wainscoting, domed ceilings and mosaic floors.

The day's program included a carnival in the armory, a street parade, balloon ascension, baseball game and fireworks. After the 2 p.m. dedication ceremony, Judge Martin J. Wade opened court.

The courthouse wasn't even a year old when Stewart Iron Works of Cincinnati, Ohio, filed suit in federal court against the board of supervisors for $5,271.50 still owed to the company.

The county filed a counterclaim, saying Stewart had the contract for all the iron and steel work, but substituted different pieces of iron work than those called for in the specifications. The company also made changes in construction of the courthouse roof without telling anyone, costing the contractors hundreds of dollars.

Judge Shiras, presiding over the case in Dubuque, allowed Johnson County's counterclaims of $1,290.50, subtracted that from the amount the iron works company wanted, and ordered the county to pay Stewart the balance of $3,981 plus interest from Aug. 21, 1901, to the date of his decision, May 7, 1902.

The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and was renovated in 1990. Some county offices on the second floor were moved to a building on Dubuque Street and the clerk of court, the County Attorney's office and the main third floor courtroom were redone as part of the $1.2 million project.

The assignment of a sixth judge in 1995 to a courthouse that had only five courtrooms, required a $109,000 renovation project that opened up another courtroom and two jury deliberation rooms. The new courtroom was small, with only one bench to seat the public and no space for a jury. It was intended for low-profile hearings such as divorce cases.

Even with that improvement, space was quickly swallowed up in a courthouse serving a fast-growing county. By 1997, court files were removed to a renovated garage to alleviate the crowded conditions described by Supervisor Charles Duffy when he said, 'You can't faint and hit the floor there.”

At the courthouse's centenary rededication in June 2001. Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Louis Lavorato told the crowd in attendance, 'I commend the leaders and citizens of Johnson County for your efforts to preserve this majestic courthouse. By doing so, you have preserved more than an architectural gem; you have preserved a symbol of your legal heritage.”

Even though demolishing the historical building was not a consideration, overcrowding remained an issue.

As the building stood well into its second century, modernizing took a toll on the original structure. Water collection from condensers on the roof resulted in pieces of office and courtroom ceilings falling in 2012 and 2013.

Bond issues rejected in November 2012 and May 2013 would have authorized a new justice center and more court space. A 2014 bond issue for a three-story annex to the courthouse minus any jail addition failed to reach the supermajority needed to pass.