View source for Lee County Courthouse (Keokuk, Iowa)

{{Infobox NRHP
| name = U.S. Post Office and Courthouse<!--Please maintain the NRHP name here-->
| nrhp_type =
| image = LeeCountyIA Courthouse at Keokuk.jpg
| caption =
| location = 25 N. 7th St.<br>[[Keokuk, Iowa]]
| coordinates = {{coord|40|23|51|N|91|23|2|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Iowa#USA
| built = 1887
| architect = [[Mifflin E. Bell]]
| architecture = [[Late Victorian architecture|Late Victorian]], round-arch Victorian
| added = January 24, 1974
| area = {{convert|0.7|acre}}
| refnum = 74000796<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
}}
The '''Lee County Courthouse''', also known as the '''South Lee County Courthouse''' and the '''U.S. Post Office and Courthouse''', is a historic building located in [[Keokuk, Iowa]], United States.
==History==
The main building was built from the laying the foundation in April 1887 to its completion on September 30, 1888.<ref name=Pickens/> The building was designed by [[Mifflin E. Bell]], the [[Office of the Supervising Architect|Supervising Architect of the US Treasury Department]]. The corner tower was originally built at five stories, but was extended to seven stories in 1890. [[James H. Windrim]] was the Treasury Department's Supervising Architect at that time. In 1956 an addition was built onto the rear of the building to add space to the workroom. The building served historically as a Federal courthouse on the upper floors and as a post office on the first floor.<ref name=Pickens>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=74000796}}|title=U.S. Post Office and Courthouse|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=2015-12-09|author=Buford L. Pickens}} with {{NRHP url|id=74000796|photos=y|title=photos}}</ref> It was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1974.
The building was acquired by [[Lee County, Iowa|Lee County]] and renovated in 1992 as a courthouse for the southern part of the county. The [[Iowa General Assembly]] had established Keokuk as the second [[county seat]] in 1848, making Lee County as the only Iowa county that has more than one courthouse.<ref name=iowacourts>{{cite web|url=https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/iowa-courts-history/iowa-county-courthouse-history/lee-county-courthouses|title=Lee County Courthouses|publisher=Iowa Judicial Branch|access-date=2015-12-15}}</ref> The [[Sullivan Line]] was used to divide the county into northern and southern sections. Previous buildings that served as the county courthouse in Keokuk include the Sanford Medical College and the old [[Keokuk Young Women's Christian Association Building|YWCA Building]].
==Architecture==
The three-story brick structure from the 1880s measures {{convert|108|by|62|ft|m}}.<ref name=Pickens/> It reflects [[Late Victorian architecture|Late Victorian]] and "round-arch Victorian" architecture. The basement and foundation are composed of [[Indiana limestone|Bedford limestone]]. Limestone is also used for the building's trim and [[belt course]]s. The windows on all three floors utilize the round-arch, and they decrease in size from the first to the third floor. A large wall [[dormer]] is located in the center of the main [[facade]]. Two roof dormers originally flanked it, but they were removed at some point. Wall dormers are also located on the west and south elevations. The [[gable]] section on west side of the third floor features [[terracotta]] decorative work and corner [[finial]]s. Similar terracotta panels are located elsewhere on the building. The back of the building features the same decorative work as the front. The first level of the tower on the third floor of the building is original. The next two levels were designed for the 1890 extension, and the top two section are from the original design and reflect the two sections that were removed.<ref name=Pickens/> The rear addition is also red brick and follows a simple utilitarian style.
==See also==
*[[List of United States post offices]]
*[[List of county courthouses in Iowa]]
==References==
{{commonscat|Lee County Courthouse (Keokuk, Iowa)}}
{{Reflist}}
{{County courthouses in Iowa}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Lee County NRHP}}
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1887]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Keokuk, Iowa]]
[[Category:Victorian architecture in Iowa]]
[[Category:County courthouses in Iowa]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Lee County, Iowa]]
[[Category:Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa|Keokuk]]
[[Category:Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa]]
[[Category:Clock towers in Iowa]]