AAC
FEATURE COURTHOUSE Continued From Page 35 <<<
Left: Staircases of dark wooden turned spindle balusters, turned drops and square sectioned newel posts are situated to the east and west of the lobby. Right: The courtroom has been modernized, but the design of the original judge’s bench has been maintained.
Today, an addition blocks the original north elevation, and the east and south entries are inaccessible, funneling public admission through the west facade. All remaining historic en- trances exhibit deeply recessed arched openings embellished with brick and limestone decorative details. Windows on the courthouse are a variety of shapes and sizes, which heightens the visual interest. A square four-story clock tower at the southeast corner is the defining feature of the courthouse. Dramatic form is provided by a mixture of arched and square windows delineated by terra cotta egg and dart details at the first and fourth floors. Four round clock faces displaying Roman numerals are situated on each elevation.
Te clocks of the southeast tower were powered by electric- ity in the 1940s and are driven by the original 1902 movement provided by the E. Howard Company of Boston, Massachu- setts. A shaft in the clock tower, which extended to the first- floor office of the county judge contained chains to manually operate the bell. Te chains have been removed, and the shaft in the judge’s office has been boxed in, but it is still visible in the tower. School groups have been allowed to view the his- toric apparatus, and the students have left multiple signatures on the brick walls to commemorate their visit. Renovations to the courthouse took place in 1939. The county allocated $24,000 for two, one-story wings to the north and south of the building for jail space, offices, and storage vaults. These were sizable additions, which ob-
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scured the original arched entries; however, care was taken to utilize matching yellow brick and limestone belt courses, as well as an arched entrance on the south wing. In 1983, the jail in the north wing was expanded, but by 2007 a new jail had been constructed elsewhere, so the space was con- verted to county services. Again, sympathetic materials were used and architectural
resources that mimic the form of the original building were incorporated. Rusticated grey stone forms the foundation, fe- nestrated gabled elements at the roofline provide light, and two towers with hexagonal roofs are capped with finials similar to those on the original building. Te scale and execution of the 20th-century wing is altogether appropriate, and embraces the character of the historic building. Te interior of the courthouse is simple and ties in the use
of the arched forms of the exterior. Staircases of dark wooden turned spindle balusters, turned drops and square sectioned newel posts are situated to the east and west of the first-floor lobby. Original doors have been replaced, but the current pan- eled and glazed forms with coved surrounds and transoms are historically correct. Te first floor of the lobby exhibits origi- nal, individually laid octagonal tiles. In 2014, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP) provided the county with a $25,269 County Courthouse Restoration grant to rep- licate the original tile design on the second floor. A wooden telephone booth, fully equipped with original phone and bench, was relocated from the entry hallway to the western
COUNTY LINES, WINTER 2020
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