The original bid was for $6,713.51, but it had been revised down to $3,908.51 in February. (Plan-20) The third floor is confined to the central section and includes the open space of the 2-story district courtroom, as well as its balcony, with a jury room and a storage space occupying the remainder of the floor. The storeroom in the basement was also added at this time, and a curved, Formica-covered desk was purchased for the county courtroom. Throughout World War II, the Library Club sent books to Menard men in military training camps. (Figure-25), Both the 1885 courthouse and jail were razed when the new courthouse was built in 1931. The section of the canal that passes through the square is lined on both sides with concrete and crossed by several small concrete pedestrian bridges. While these additions may detract from the aesthetics of the courthouse’s surroundings, they also reinforce its continuing and multi-faceted significance in the community. The 1931 Menard County Courthouse has served as the center of county government for over seventy years. Visit our Links Page for websites providing Employment Listings, as well as US Government holiday closings. The United States government established their own military fort, Camp San Saba, in what is now the western end of Menard County in 1852. Jury Duty, District and County Clerk of Court, Phone Number, and other Menard County info. Additional cast stone details decorate the front (north) façade of the Menard County Courthouse. Two commissioners voted to put the footings at 22 feet, but the judge and other two commissioners went the other direction and agreed on a depth of 9 feet, which was where the foundation was set. Although the county most likely began using the new courthouse in 1931, furnishing the building would have to wait until the start of the new year. Menard County Courthouse â Menard Elmer G. Withers of Fort Worth, known for his many Art Deco designs, was the architect for this 1931 courthouse that served as ⦠Keen, a Methodist minister, was allowed use of one of the vacant rooms on the second floor on June 4, 1932, provided that he not cause any trouble when asked to leave the building. Mrs. Will Nixon was ordered on January 11, 1932, to purchase furniture for the second floor Witness Room (then referred to as the Rest Room), not to exceed $500. Unless changed by further public notice, the meetings will occur in the Menard County Courthouse, 102 South Seventh Street, Petersburg, Illinois 62675. Please be advised that a meeting of the Menard County Board of Review has been scheduled for Monday, February 8, 2021. The community was then invited to the February 20, 1931 Commissioner’s Court meeting to discuss the courthouse cost. The Commissioners selected separate subcontractors from the combined bids that were received. Despite the introduction of limited oil and gas production in the 1940s, ranching has consistently dominated the Menard County economy. Box 466
(The Menard Messenger October 30, 1930) On December 15, 1930, the county selected the Fort Worth firm of Withers & Thompson to serve as the project’s architect. Porter of San Angelo presented the lowest at $79,749. The form is nearly symmetrical, with the front distinguished by its protruding one-story entrance section and slightly more shallow three-story mass. The Commissioners Court seems to have been continually issuing extra warrants to pay for items that were not included in the construction bid, such as furniture and plumbing. While most Art Deco-influenced courthouses in Texas, and especially those in more rural counties, derive their modern “look” primarily from ornamentation, Withers’s design focused on the building’s form, and its complex massing maintains a strong visual presence on every elevation. The presence of Apaches and Comanches continued to discourage settlement of the area into the mid 19th century, even after it was included in the 1842 Fisher-Miller Land Grant, in which the Republic of Texas gave more than three million acres to the San Saba Colonization Company to entice European immigrants to the valley. A small, shed-roofed storage structure has been added, extending from the east wing. (“The Ditch,” Texas Historical Marker File) The construction firm Vickery and Haynes of Kimble County submitted the lowest bid, $12,500, and was awarded the courthouse contract on May 12, 1885. As Willard B. Robinson discusses in The People’s Architecture: Texas Courthouses, Jails, and Municipal Buildings, these attributes made the Modern Classic (or what Robinson refers to as “Stripped Classic”) style an especially popular choice for public architecture in the 1930s. 817-404-4638 For its longstanding service as the center of Menard County government, the courthouse is nominated under Criterion A in the area of Government at the local level of significance. Although the 1930 Fort Worth directory listed the firm as Withers & Thompson, Withers was listed individually in both the 1928 and the 1931 directories. A public privy was also erected for $209 by Scruggs & Schuchard. An American Legion marker commemorating Menard County men killed in combat was erected in 1967, and a Texas Civil War Defense Monument is also on the square. The Spaniards in the presidio endured constant hostility and poor conditions until it was completely abandoned in 1770. Minor. A request had already been made, in July 1931, to donate the stone from the 1885 courthouse and jail to the Pioneer Rest Cemetery, which was the course of action chosen by the Commissioners. Beyond its formal role as the center of county government, the courthouse and its square represent the heart of public life in Menard County. The Commissioners Court ordered on May 13, 1884, that bonds be issued for the construction of a new courthouse and jail, and county residents responded by passing a $20,000 bond issue. Substantial repairs and changes, totalling $12,170, were made to the basement and first floor by contractor R. S. Ligon, Jr. in 1973. Although not uncommon in Art Deco buildings, the pre-Colombian influence illustrates Withers’s deeper understanding of the style’s precedents and creative possibilities. Simpson, a consulting structural engineer from San Antonio, was called in to determine the best depth for the footings. A gas station now occupies the site. The paper also noted that, because of the Great Depression, “[a] court house can be constructed at this special time for considerably less than at ordinary or normal times.” Arguments were made about the assurance of local labor being used during the construction and the wisdom of paying bonds over an extended period of time, whereby the county could keep up with the loan during the difficult economic times of the Great Depression and pay more in the future as the economy allowed. This method was applied to buildings’ defining formal components, like columns and cornices, as well as in limited areas of applied decoration, often in the form of low-relief sculptural carvings. Menard County, All civil cases at law over $300., Civil cases in equity., Proceedings in habeas corpus., Felonies and misdemeanors, Proceedings in quo warranto., Prohibition and certiorari cases., Appeals from magistrate court, municipal court, and administrative agenc, Phone Number: 217-632-2615
In 1930 in a close election, county residents approved a new jail and courthouse. This photo is in 7 groups Illinois Flickrjournal 115,732 items Architecture of Illinois 3,503 items Architecture of Days Gone By 235,176 items Building with Stone 19,848 items buildings are beautiful 124,358 items Sky & Cloud Junkies (Please follow the rules :) 217,079 items The search for a contractor began immediately, with a call for bids published on February 5. It was not until two months later, however, on March 14, 1932, that the Commissioners Court accepted a furniture contract with the Dorsey Company of Dallas. Architect: Elmer George Withers It was also mentioned that, without a new courthouse, the county would still have to spend at least $5,000 on a new vault. Future Menard County juvenile delinquency tallies will show whether or not this approach is working. Except for the addition of a few ceiling fans, the district courtroom is virtually unchanged since its original construction. Commissioners Bob Lott, Jeff In May 1947, the library sponsored an art exhibit. Menard County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois.According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 12,705. Simpson was paid $60 for his consultation. (Figure-24) In the 1920s, Canal Street was closed between Tipton and Gay Streets, and the blocks were combined to form one lot, creating the long narrow square seen today. The Menard Messenger reported on October 23, 1930 that the new jail would be separate from the courthouse, on a site east of the 1885 jail. (Plan-21) The fourth floor of the courthouse housed the original jail, which includes the jail cells themselves and the jailer’s living quarters. The library used the courthouse space, free of charge, until March 1963, when it was moved to a house at the corner of Bevans and Mission Streets. Active. The east and west elevations of the courthouse are identical, although the view of the east elevation is obscured by the 1980 jail building. E. D. Porter was listed in the 1931 San Angelo City Directory as a building contractor at 1005 W. Avenue D. He was the general contractor on the 1930 Kimble County Courthouse, where he was also contracted to do the plumbing, wiring, and heating. The design of the 1931 Menard County Courthouse reflects a number of the era’s trends in the architecture of public buildings. The Menard Messenger related details of an additional petition presented to the Commissioners Court, which asked to preserve the old jail “as a living monument to early day builders.” (September 24, 1931) This petition had many signatures of concerned citizens, but the Commissioners were not persuaded from razing the building. Call, or visit the court's website if listed above. The San Saba River and its valley, which bisect Menard County from west to east, have supported human habitation for thousands of years. County Seat: Menardville Building Materials/Description: Vernacular, wood picket, Building Completion Date: 1886 For all but the four-story section, the cornice consists only of a row of bricks laid in soldier course.