The restoration of the Historic Polk County Courthouse accommodates the functional needs of the Fifth Judicial District while also preserving the defining characteristics of the 1906-Beaux Arts Classical style structure.

Grotesque ornaments (28 total) above second floor windows. One of which is said to have likeness of architect, George W. Bird. Clock tower a was landmark for visitors traveling by train (116 ft. tall).

Oct 20, 2023 · The restoration of Des Moines’ historic Polk County Courthouse represents the final phase of a multi-year plan to shape a new courts campus in the city’s downtown core. Two additional buildings, the Polk County Justice Center and the Polk County Criminal Courts, both recently renovated buildings, sit adjacent to the original 1906 courthouse ...

There are two buildings in the Courthouse Complex that have jury trials. The Polk County Historic Courthouse is located on 5th & Mulberry Street, Des Moines, Iowa. The public and wheelchair accessible entrance is located on the west side of the building on 6th avenue.

The new Criminal Courts Facility transformed from an old 8-story County Jail. The building contains 6 high-volume courts and 4 criminal jury courtrooms, with the flexibility to add 5 more in the future.

Sep 2, 2022 · Workers built a scaffolding "dancefloor" 6 feet below the ceiling to tackle repairs. Each historic courtroom has its own personality — one includes ornamental acorns and embellished scrolls...

This large, beautifully proportioned Beaux Arts classical structure shows the great skill of the architects, Proudfoot & Bird. The tall clock tower is the east terminus of Court Avenue, balancing the State Capitol dome as the west terminus of Locust Street in Des Moines.

Designed by the Des Moines-based architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird, the current Polk County courthouse was built in 1906. Constructed for $750,000 on the site of its 1858 predecessor, the Beaux-Arts style courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The restoration of Des Moines’ historic Polk County Courthouse represents the final phase of a multi-year plan to shape a new courts campus in the city’s downtown core. Two additional buildings, the Polk County Justice Center and the Polk County Criminal Courts, both also recently renovated buildings, sit adjacent to the original 1906 ...

The Polk County Courthouse is one of a few remaining Beaux Arts courthouses in Iowa; with its use of a gray limestone façade articulated by a rusticated base, rows of pilasters above, and use of sculpted ornament, it is a supreme example of early-twentieth century Beaux Arts architecture.