now Allamakee County Historical Museum
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First Allamakee County Courthouse (now Allamakee County Historical Museum)
1860–1861, attrib. John W. Pratt. Southeast corner of Allamakee Ave. and 2nd Ave. N.E.
A good number of similar courthouses were built throughout eastern Iowa in the 1850s and early 1860s. The Allamakee Courthouse is one of the very few still surviving. The underlying form is based upon the rectangular block Greek Revival design, but this has been modified by a bracketed roof and a strong sense of verticality in the high pitch of the roof. This brick building, set on a limestone base, has the usual pilastered walls and two-tiered wooden tower over the entrance. Though some changes have been made on the interior, the courtroom, halls, and other spaces are close to their original design. Now a museum, the building is open to the public.
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