Phillips County Courthouse - Helena, Arkansas - Courthouses on Waymarking.com

The Phillips County Courthouse in Helena, Arkansas was constructed in 1914 at a cost of $250,000. Little Rock Architect Frank W. Gibb designed the building. He is also responsible for the design of several southern Arkansas courthouses. As the third official Phillips County Courthouse, the structure has served since 1914 as the political and governmental center of the historic Mississippi River town.

Basically rectangular in shape, the Phillips County Courthouse is a two-story,brick structure with a flat roof. A pent roof runs around the building detailed as classical cornices with dentils. A caststone water table encircles the building. A somewhat unusual feature of the building is that both the north and west elevations contain main entrances.

The most distinctive feature of the building are the sections of engaged fluted Corinthian columns. On north, south and west elevations. These columns are two stories tall and are set one story above ground level. On the north elevation five columns set into a recessed panel of stone blocks mark the north entry. This four-bay wide section is identical to the recessed section on the south elevation with the exception that there is no entry on the south. The main entry to the Phillips County Courthouse is located on the west elevation. A seven-bay wide recessed panel with eight engaged columns features denticulated entablatures with decorative medallions over the entry door and the two windows flanking either side.

Decorative east-stone medallions are found in pairs on the brick portion of the building at the frieze line. Window treatment is simple with those in the brick sections featuring keystones.

The east elevation houses the Phillips County Jail. Architecture on this elevation is devoid of ornamentation. Pairs of double-hung windows with transoms are spaced regularly on this elevation.

As the most architecturally and politically important structure in Phillips County, the courthouse is a local landmark. Resting on its original site and in excellent condition, the Phillips County Courthouse is a significant historical structure.