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Appreciating the exterior Art Deco architecture of the county courthouse in Faribault

    Home History Appreciating the exterior Art Deco architecture of the county courthouse in Faribault

    Appreciating the exterior Art Deco architecture of the county courthouse in Faribault

    By Chamber | History | Comments are Closed | 30 April, 2018 | 1

    Story and photos by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    When I consider historically-significant buildings in Faribault, I think first of the downtown historic district brimming with limestone and brick buildings constructed in the late 1800s. Or I think of the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour or Buckham Memorial Library or the aged structures on the campus of Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. But another building deserves attention—the Rice County Courthouse.

    Rice County Courthouse from the north side full view.
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    Set on a hill overlooking Minnesota State Highway 60/Fourth Street, this imposing center of county government is an Art Deco delight designed by noted St. Cloud architect Nairne Fisher.

    Rice County Courthouse, architectural details
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    Constructed of Faribault stone between 1932-1934, the courthouse features the Art Deco Classic Moderne style, distinguished by symmetry. From a distance, the structure appears balanced, streamlined, perhaps even rather plain. But up close, exterior details reveal the thought that went into creating an architecturally-notable building worthy of study and placement on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Rice County Courthouse, south side full view
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    The choice of Faribault stone, the metalwork, the stone relief carvings and more—all add to the exterior visual appeal of this 134-by-98-foot courthouse built for $200,000. It is Rice County’s third courthouse, replacing a more traditional 1874 mammoth brick building destroyed by fire in 1931. Originally, county government was housed in an unassuming small brick building constructed in 1858.

    Rice County Courthouse, corner detail
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    Construction of the Art Deco courthouse didn’t come without controversy. A county resident sought to keep the two wings of the 1874 building untouched by fire and to rebuild with that base. But, in the end, through legal proceedings, the County Board of Commissioners got judicial approval to proceed with completely new construction.

    Rice County Courthouse, metalwork _ reflection
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    The 1930s courthouse differed substantially from the traditional mansard roof and elongated arched windows style of the 1874 building. Each reflected its period of design. And each reflected a sense of power, as government structures often do.

    Rice County Courthouse, sundial
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    Like its predecessor, the current courthouse incorporates time into its design with a traditional clock on the north side and a sundial above the southern entrance. The unique vertical direct sundial was a gift from the estate of Charles Nehmiah Sayles, an attorney in Rice County who died in 1963. Architect William Broderson designed the Art Deco style timepiece made by local craftsman Kurt Kowatsch.

    Rice County Courthouse, eagle relief sculpture
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    To either side of the sundial and elsewhere, stone relief carvings add visual interest and honor civic virtue, industry and the area’s agricultural base.

    Rice County Courthouse, Civil War soldier
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    One more piece of exterior art is worth noting. A sculpture of a foot solider in the Grand Army of the Republic stands next to the courthouse, which today is part of an expanded Rice County Veterans Memorial. Originally tagged as the Rice County Soldiers’ Monument, the sculpture was crafted from Vermont marble by local stonecutters at McCarthy Marble Works in 1914.

    Rice County Courthouse
    Photo: Audrey Kletscher Helbling

    Truly this courthouse, which I bypass multiple times weekly, sometimes daily, is worth a closer look for anyone who appreciates art, architecture and history.

     

    Sources:

    Courthouses of Minnesota—photography by Doug Ohman and text by Mary Logue published 2006 by Minnesota Historical Society Press

    A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota by David Gebhard & Tom Martinson  published 1977 by the University of Minnesota

    The First 100 Years…The Minnesota State Bar Association published by North Central Publishing Company 1983

    Minnesota Courthouses—Watercolors of Historic Structures by Victor C. Gilbertson, FAIA, published by Galde Press, Inc. 2005

    Rice County, Minnesota website

    1930s courthouse, Architect William Broderson, Art Deco, Art Deco architecture, Art Deco courthouse, Audrey Kletscher Helbling, Charles Nehmiah Sayles, Faribault, Faribault MN, Faribo, Kurt Kowatsch, McCarthy Marble Works, Nairne Fisher, National Register of Historic Places, Rice County, Rice County Courthouse, Rice County MN, Rice County Veterans Memorial, soldiers monument, Things to do in Faribault, Things to do in Faribault MN, Things to do in Southern Minnesota

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