AAC F A M I L Y & F R I E N D S
» » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » »
Left: The old courthouse features decorative brick quoins. Above: The “New” Ran- dolph County Courthouse was built in 1940 just a block away from the old structure.
Helena won the bid to build the courthouse for $39,865. After a series of delays and disagreements, efforts were made to void McKay’s contract though he and the county apparently came to terms, and McKay completed the building under an amended agreement. Disagreements over payment led the Helena builder to forbid Randolph County to take possession of the building un- til his claims were met, but the county apparently prevailed, and in April 1875 county offices finally moved into the building. By 1940, the people of Randolph County decided that a new
courthouse was needed and voted to construct a new building a block from what became the “Old” Randolph County Court- house. County Judge Joe S. Decker appointed a building com- mittee, which hired noted architect Eugene John Stern to design the structure. Te new courthouse, built by the E.V. Bird Construc- tion Company, cost around $130,000, which was offset by a $49,250 grant from the Works Progress Administration, a Depression-era federal relief agency. A bond issue raised $85,901 to help pay for the building, and construction began in February 1940. It was completed by the next year. Architect Stern chose the still-popular Art
Deco style of architecture for the new build- ing, which rises from a terraced yard that enhances the vertical emphasis of the court- house’s design. A panel near the entrance boldly states, “Fiat justitia ruat coelom,” a Latin legal phrase that means “let justice be done though the heavens fall.” Te grounds contain an elaborate veterans’ memorial with statues of soldiers from World Wars I and II and the Vietnam War, as well as a large rock purported to be a meteorite that had plunged into the Black River in 1859. Tis build- ing still serves as Randolph County’s seat of
COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2016
government today. Te “old” courthouse, meanwhile, had fallen into serious disre-
pair, and the need to restore the classic structure led to the creation of the AHPP’s County Courthouse Restoration Grant program. In 1989, one of the first grants awarded through the program helped to stabilize the exterior and restore the interior of the grand building, and subsequent grants would further rehabilitate the courthouse and the surrounding area. It now houses the Randolph County Chamber of Commerce. Te “Old” Randolph County Courthouse was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 1973; the “new” courthouse was listed on Aug. 22, 1996.
tion Program is the County Courthouse Restoration Grant Program. Created in 1989, this grant program has helped to extend the lives of courthouses that hold vital links to community pride and local history. Tese grants are funded through the Real Estate Transfer Tax, administered by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council. Since the beginning of the program, the AHPP has awarded more than $18.6 million to 69 historic courthouses and courthouse an- nexes around the state for use in rehabilitating, preserving and protecting these important historic resources. Since 1989, Randolph County has received five grants totaling $709,647 for the “Old” Randolph County Courthouse.
Arkansas Historic Preservation Program County Courthouse Restoration Grants awarded to Lee County
FY1989 FY1994 FY1995 FY2011 FY2014
TOTAL:
Interior and Exterior Restoration Courthouse Square Pilot Project Courthouse Square Project
Roof, Window, Exterior Restoration Roof Restoration
$197,700 $250,000 $150,000 $ 88,232 $ 23,715
$709,647 35 Among the many programs and services of the Arkansas Historic Preserva-
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52