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 Miami County Courthouse - Paola, Kansas Posted by:  iconions
N 38° 34.237 W 094° 52.712
15S E 336349 N 4270802
The Miami County Courthouse, a Victorian design with Romanesque features, is located at 120 South Pearl.
Waymark Code: WMWB4B
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 08/06/2017
Views: 1
The Miami County Courthouse, located east of the junction of Miami and Silver Streets in Paola, is the seat of government of Miami County, Kansas. The courthouse was built from 1898 to 1899 and has housed the county's government ever since. Architect George P. Washburn designed the courthouse; its design is Victorian with Romanesque Revival details. The building features a tower at each corner; the southwest tower was once a clock tower but no longer has a clock. The east and west entrances to the courthouse feature porches with brick columns. The upper windows of the building are arched with stone; the stone continues around the building in a band, a feature described as "one of the strongest elements of the [building's] design". The courthouse's roof incorporates a variety of designs; the main part of the roof and the towers are hipped, while gable ends are located between the towers.
The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 1, 1973.
- Wikipedia Entry
The Miami County Courthouse at Paola was constructed in 1897-1899 from plans drawn by George P. Washburn of Ottawa, Kansas. Land was purchased for the courthouse site by the county commissioners on April 27, 1897, from M.A. Schroeder for $4100. The contract for building the courthouse was let in September 1897, to L.W. Divelbiss of Olathe, who built a number of Kansas courthouses. By the terms of the contract the new courthouse was to be ready by October 1, 1899.
The cornerstone was laid Wednesday, July 27, 1898, during a day long celebration that attracted a crowd of 8000 to Paola.
On February 1 & 2, 1899, the county commissioners heard from architect Washburn that the contractor, L.W. Divelbiss, was not fulfilling terms of the contract. The commissioners then took steps to relieve him of the work and decided to supervise the finishing projects at the courthouse themselves. County official apparently moved into the new facility in April, 1899. Cost of the structure is variously given at from $45000 to $90000.
The Miami County Courthouse is regarded as one of the most outstanding works of George P. Washburn, who was one of the best known 19th century Kansas architects. Courthouses were one of Washburn's specialities, and his symmetrical courthouse designs gave unique character to 13 Kansas county seat towns.
The clock tower was a later addition.
The Courthouse is 71 feet wide by 101 feet long on a foundation of Carthage limestone that extends 5 feet above ground. The floor plan, then, becomes a square with a brick tower at each corner. Entry is made at either the east or (now closed) west end of the building.
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