Lewis County Courthouse - Monticello, Missouri
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 40° 07.106 W 091° 42.852
15T E 609567 N 4441694
Smallest town in county is the county seat, and this old courthouse still going strong...
Waymark Code: WM11DYN
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/05/2019
Views: 1
County of courthouse: Lewis County
Location of courthouse: Lafayette St. & Washington St., Monticello
Built: 1875
Architect: J. T. McAllister
Architectural Style: Victorian - Second Empire
Postcard: from about 1952
"Built in 1875. the Lewis County Courthouse, located on the Courthouse Square in
Monticello, Lewis County, is of a two story rectangular brick building with Second Empire
influences. It rests on a stone foundation and has a mansard asphalt roof topped with a cupola
and weathervane. The eaves are adorned with wooden dentils and brackets. The top of each wall
has a double row of brick dentils. Engaged brick double pilasters add interest to each side of the
building. The north and south sides of the building were originally constructed with three bays on
each elevation, whereas the east and west sides contained seven bays on each elevation (see
figure 1). The courthouse now has four additions, one on the east and two on the west side and a
largely underground one to the southwest. The disappearance of the commercial area has altered
the setting. A small frame service building sits just southwest of the courthouse, but it is not
substantial in size or scale and is not included in the resource count. The sidewalks were
replaced in 1994 and landscaping was done in 1996. This included the addition of a veterans
memorial, historical marker, and a flagpole. The memorial and marker are of low profile and do
not detract from the design of the courthouse; together with the flagpole, they are appropriate to
the courthouse setting but not significant in size or scale and are also not included in the resource
count. Despite the several additions to the building, it still conveys it original design and retains
its integrity of materials, workmanship, design, location, and association. The Lewis County
Courthouse remains a good example of the rare use of Second Empire elements on courthouses
in small, primarily rural Missouri counties" ~ NRHP Nomination Form