Lobby Staircase, Woodbury County Courthouse, Douglas Street and 7th Street, Sioux City, IA

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Lobby Staircase, Woodbury County Courthouse, Douglas Street and 7th Street, Sioux City, IA
Lobby Staircase, Woodbury County Courthouse, Douglas Street and 7th Street, Sioux City, IA

Built in 1916-1918, this Prairie-style building was designed by George Grant Elmslie and William Gray Purcell of Purcell and Elmslie, with local architect William L. Steele overseeing the project, to serve as the Woodbury County Courthouse. The building sits among several good examples of various 19th Century and 20th Century architectural styles.

The courthouse itself is an eight-story 157-foot (48 meter) tall building clad in buff Roman brick, with terra cotta trim, art glass windows, brick piers, metal transom grilles, an intricate terra cotta cornice, a large lobby below an art glass dome, and many heavily detailed decorative elements inside and outside the building. Decorative metalwork was supplied by Crown Iron Works, while sculptor Alfonso Iannelli crafted the building's reliefs, and artist John Norton created the building's murals.

The building is a rare example of the Prairie style applied to a public building. Purcell and Elmslie was the second-most prolific firm of the Prairie School, only being exceeded in commissions by Frank Lloyd Wright. Elmslie worked under Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan, both of whom heavily influenced his later work. Purcell briefly worked for Sullivan, and was familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright. Together, their talents created a substantial body of work that is regarded as equal in quality to buildings designed by Wright and Sullivan.

The Woodbury County Courthouse is the largest commission by Purcell and Elmslie to have been constructed. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996, owing to its status as one of the best and largest examples of Prairie-style architecture, and the lobby is often open to visitors.

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Taken on: July 27, 2023
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Sets appears in:   • Sioux City, Iowa    • Woodbury County Courthouse (Sioux City)    more » • Prairie Style Architecture    • Courthouses    • Interior Spaces    « less
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