A Depression-era courthouse that served Warren County for nearly eight decades before its demolition in 2019.
At a glance
The Warren County Courthouse was a Public Works Administration–era building completed in 1939 in Indianola, Iowa. It functioned as the county’s third courthouse and administrative seat until its demolition in summer 2019.
History
Built during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal’s PWA programs, the courthouse opened in 1939. It represented the county’s third dedicated courthouse building and served court functions and county administration for nearly eighty years. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as part of the PWA-Era County Courthouses of Iowa Multiple Properties Submission. As the building reached the end of its serviceable life, the county proceeded with demolition in summer 2019, with the courthouse formally removed from the NRHP in September 2019. A replacement justice center was expected to be completed in 2022.
What you see
No building remains to visit. The courthouse has been demolished.
Cultural significance
The Warren County Courthouse exemplified the Depression-era civic architecture supported by federal relief programs. Its NRHP listing recognized it as part of a broader pattern of PWA-funded county courthouses across Iowa that shaped the state’s judicial infrastructure during the 1930s.
Key facts
- Location: Indianola, Warren County, Iowa, United States
- Built: 1939
- Coordinates: 41.36°N, 93.56°W
- Status: Demolished summer 2019; removed from NRHP September 2019
- Funding: Public Works Administration (PWA)
Practical information & getting there
The building no longer exists. Indianola is located in south-central Iowa, approximately 30 miles south of Des Moines.
Sources & resources
Find it on the map
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