Federal Building and United States Courthouse
Introduction
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This impressive building is the Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse, which was built in 1933 and houses one of the locations of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa (the other is in Cedar Rapids). A work of noted local architecture firm Beuttler & Arnold, its design combines the Art Deco and Stripped Classical styles. Interesting features include a limestone exterior, narrow three-story bays with windows and decorative bronze panels, and pilasters with a floral design. Inside, the lobby features polished marble floors and walls, and the courtroom features an ornate coffered ceiling. The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
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The historic Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse was built in 1933. It housed the U.S. postal services until 1984.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The first federal building in Sioux City was built in 1897 after four years of construction. Located on the opposite corner from the present federal courthouse, it also housed a post office. The building is known for its distinctive clock tower, which was added in 1900. It became city hall in 1948.
By 1930, it was clear that the building had become too overcrowded. The next year, Congress appropriated the funds to build the present courthouse and the firm Beuttler & Arnold was chosen to design it. The Des Moines architecture firm Proudfoot, Rawson, Souers & Thomas was also hired as a consultant. Overseeing the whole project was a federal agency called the Office of the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury, which no longer exists. Construction began in July 1932 and was completed in December 1933. It opened on January 2, 1934.
Post office operations continued in the building until a new post office facility was built in 1984. After the post office vacated the courthouse, new offices were added and a new courtroom was built. Between 1999-2000 another courtroom and judicial rooms were added.
Sources
"City Halls of Sioux City." Sioux City History. Accessed March 31, 2022. http://www.siouxcityhistory.org/historic-sites/130-the-city-halls-of-sioux-city.
"Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse, Sioux City, IA." U.S. General Services Administration. Accessed March 30, 2022. https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/federal-building-us-courthouse-sioux-city-ia.
Wikimedia Commons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Building_and_United_States_Courthouse_(Sioux_City,_Iowa)#/media/File:United_States_Courthouse,_Sioux_City,_Iowa.jpg