Benton County Courthouse (Arkansas)

The Benton County Courthouse is a courthouse in Bentonville, Arkansas, United States, the county seat of Benton County, built in 1928. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The courthouse was built in the Classic Revival style by Albert O. Clark and anchors the east side of the Bentonville Town Square.

Benton County Courthouse
The Benton County Courthouse anchors the east side of the Bentonville square
Location106 SE A Street, Bentonville, Arkansas
Coordinates36°22′21″N 94°12′27″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1928
ArchitectAlbert O. Clark
Architectural styleClassical Revival
MPSBenton County MRA
NRHP reference No.87002340 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 28, 1988

History

Architect Albert O. Clark came from St. Louis, Missouri to Rogers, Arkansas in 1904. He utilized the Classic Revival style when designing the Applegate Drugstore and Bank of Rogers Building elsewhere in the county. After approving of his work, Clark was hired to build many buildings in Bentonville, including the Benton County Jail and the county courthouse. His building replaced an Italianate style structure that had served the county administration needs since 1874.[2]:6,18 The very first courthouse at Benton was a log building erected in 1837.[3]

Architecture
See also: Neoclassicism
"Sovereignty rests with the people"

—Inscription in large concrete block above main entrance

Built in the Classic Revival (Neoclassical) style, the Benton County Courthouse features a totally symmetrical façade with a centrally located entrance. The building also exhibits keystones, a main characteristic of Classic Revival architecture.[4] The third floor originally included a balcony; however this was later enclosed to allow for climate control.[5] Today the enclosed third floor windows have round-topped arches, a modification that was in keeping with the Romanesque Revival building style.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Cyrus Sutherland (July 1987). "National Register of Historic Places Historic Multiple Property documentation: Resources of Benton County (Partial Inventory: Historic & Architectural)".
  3. History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Higginson Book Company. 1889. p. 38.
  4. Wilcox, Ralph. "A Reference Guide to the Architectural Styles of Arkansas" (PDF). Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  5. Gill, John Purifoy; Gill, Marjem Jackson (1980). On the Courthouse Square in Arkansas. LCCN 80-65253.
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