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 Crawford County Courthouse - Girard, Kansas Posted by:  iconions
N 37° 30.618 W 094° 50.557
15S E 337145 N 4153078
The Courthouse is located at 111 East Forest Street in Girard, Ks., and is a three-story Classical Revival Building constructed of reinforced concrete faced in limestone.
Waymark Code: WMG0RB
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 12/29/2012
Views: 8
"The courthouse, which is the only building on the square, is a three-story Classical Revival-Style building with cubed massing, constructed of reinforced concrete faced with stone. The building's footprint measures 123' X 97', with the wider sides on the north and south elevations, which house main entrances. It has a flat roof with stone parapet. The courthouse's principal Classical Revival feature is its symmetry. The north and south elevations are identical, as are the east and west elevations. Other Classical Revival features include Tuscan columns, pilasters and pedimented entries. The Classical Revival details are executed in carved, dressed and polished limestone. The field stones are laid in a regular pattern and create an overall smooth appearance.
The water table, which encompasses the building's first floor, is differentiated from the second and third floors. The stones on this level are cut in a drop pattern that creates the appearance of horizontal bands at each course. The water table is separated from the second and third floors with a band of stones carved in a Greek Key pattern, above which is a projecting horizontal band. For the most part, the openings in this level are without details like sills and lintels. The door openings on the north and south elevations, however, are accentuated with detailed pediments set on corbels.
The openings on the second and third floors match up with the openings on the first floor. However, these openings have more details, including sills, lintels, and carved stone details between windows. Columns and pilasters separate window bays. The building is topped with an entablature with cornice and parapet.
The principal changes to the building over time relate to its openings. All of the windows and doors, originally multi-pane steel, were replaced in 1994 with anodized aluminum windows and storefront-type doors. There were originally three entrance doors on each of the north and south elevations. Some of these have been filled. For instance, one of these entrances was filled in with architectural glass block in the ca. 1950s.
North and South Elevations
The north and south elevations are each nine bays wide. The first and ninth bays house narrow window openings on each floor. These bays project from the main elevation plane. The second, third, seventh and eighth bays have wider windows on each floor, separated by pilasters perched on the entablature of the water table. The fourth through sixth bays are marked by a shallow four-column temple front that rests on the projecting entrances below. These narrow window and entrance bays are separated by Tuscan columns that support a projecting entablature and decorative parapet above. The entablatures in the temple fronts are carved with the words "Crawford County Courthouse."
East and West Elevations
The east and west elevations are seven bays wide. The first and seventh bays, which are recessed from the main wall plane, house narrow windows on each floor. Pilasters separate these bays from the bays on the main wall plane. These pilasters flank four columns that encapsulate the second through sixth bays. The window openings, on each floor of each bay, are square.
- National Register Application
Dr. Charles H. Strong, Founder of Girard
Born: February 2, 1828
Died: July 3, 1912
Founded Girard: February 2, 1868v
Crawford County established: February 13, 1867
On February 28, 1868, Dr. C. H. Strong, mounted his horse “Bob,” shouldered his old carbine, and set out to bag a deer for his birthday. He was also scouting a location for the new county seat. He got the deer near the southwest corner where the Courthouse now stands.
The surveyors of the railroad had driven stakes near this location, which led John Lash, Zeek Boaring, and C. H. Strong on the 29th day of March, 1868 to select this spot as the future seat of government.
Dr. Strong chose to name this new town after Girard, Pennsylvania.
In December of 1868, Girard became the county seat. The first Crawford county Courthouse was a frame building erected on the north side of the square. The first story was divided into four rooms for different county officials. The second story was reserved for the purpose of holding District Court.
Construction on the new brick Courthouse began in 1889. It was designed by a man named Schmid who resigned before the building was finished. The new building was designed in the popular Victorian Gothic style. It was built as a city hall by the city of Girard and donated to the county in April 1890, with Girard paying more than two thirds of the cost.
The new courthouse measured 90 feet by 120 feet and was four stories high from the basement to the skylight. The foundation was of light blue sandstone and the main walls were constructed of hard-pressed brick. The arched doors and windows were framed with elegant cut stone trim and the roof was made of slate. In August 1889, 37 men were working on the building with 18 quarrymen and four teams of horses at a quarry near Farlington. Eleven more men worked at Col. Daniel’s quarry in Crawford Township in support of the project.
It was an elegant building, intended to serve many generation for into the future. The building was constructed of 850,000 bricks and required 1,500 perch of stone in addition to that needed for corners and window trim. The “tower” rooms located at all four corners were a defining feature of the Victorian Gothic style. Each one was 23 feet in diameter.
Unfortunately, the magnificent structure did not hold up well. By 1911, it was badly cracked and the plaster had to be removed and redone. The entire building continued to crack, buckle, and twist. By 1918, the southwest tower was leaning eight inches out of alignment. In 1920, the offices were moved to various buildings around the square and the courthouse was razed.
On June 1, 1922, the current Crawford County Courthouse was formally dedicated. It occupies the ground on which the old courthouse stood. It is an elegant three-story structure measuring 123 feet by 97 feet. The basement is used for storage rooms, fuel rooms, and the boiler room. The County Appraiser, Motor Vehicle Office, County Zoning, and County Attorney use the first floor. The County Clerk, Fiscal Clerk, County Treasurer, County Register of Deeds, County Counselor, Special Projects, and County Road and Bridge departments are located on the second floor. The third story is devoted to courtrooms, jury rooms, judges’ rooms, the Office of the Clerk of District Court, and the computer room.
The current courthouse is made of Carthage stone and features generous usage of marble throughout the interior. Metal doors were installed in each office for fire protection.
Extensive renovation was recently undertaken at the Crawford County Courthouse during the 1990s. In 1990, a new boiler/chiller heating and air condition system replaced the old radiator heating system. In the summer of 1992, the exterior of the courthouse was completely refurbished. The exterior stone was cleaned, tuck pointed, and repaired where needed. A sealer was applied to ensure the lasting beauty and durability. In 1994, a window replacement project was started. There are over 90 windows in the courthouse, which were originally installed in 1922. New windows were chosen with exterior enhancement as the main objective. The replacement rate was set as one floor per year, with completion of the project occurring in 1996.
- Crawford County Website
Street address:
111 E Forest
Girard, KS USA
66743
County / Borough / Parish: Crawford
Year listed: 2009
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Government - Architecture
Periods of significance: 1922-1958
Historic function: Government - Courthouse
Current function: Government - Courthouse
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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