GREAT FALLS, MT, 59401 US / MT
The Cascade County Courthouse in Great Falls, Montana is a historic courthouse built in 1901–1903, is a three-story English Renaissance Revival structure located in the town's civic district. Founded in 1887, Cascade County conducted its business from several office buildings in town until the courthouse was built. The full city block site was purchased in 1891 at a cost of $20,000, but there was not enough tax revenue for the county to build a courthouse until a decade later. The grey sandstone used in construction was quarried within six miles of the building. A stone dome had been planned, but a copper dome was built instead. It is crowned by a 14-foot statue of Justice. The dome was used during World War II as a lookout for Japanese aircraft. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980, and is included in the Great Falls Northside Residential Historic District, which was listed on the NRHP in 1991. Architects Langstaff and Black also designed the Late Victorian style Gamwell House in Bellingham, Washington, which was built in 1890 and is also NRHP-listed. The architectural firm of Longstaff and Black was "an eastern firm who had come from the Boston area to the Bellingham Bay real estate boom." For the first fifteen years that Cascade County was, in fact, a county, all business was conducted in a small group of offices in a downtown building. As the county increased in population and more services were needed, it became evident that a separate building was necessary to accommodate the various offices to serve the public more efficiently. At the general election held November 6, 1900, the question of voting bonds in the sum of $200,000 for the purpose of building a courthouse was submitted to the voters of Cascade County and carried. The work on the superstructure was begun by Lease & Richards on the 9th day of November, 1901. The building was finished by the contractors and turned over to the commissioners on the 4th day of July, 1903. It thus required two years and four months for its construction. The courthouse is constructed of gray sandstone quarried within six miles of the city in the hills west of the Missouri River. The architecture is French Renaissance with slight modifications. The columns are of solid Tennessee marble and the halls and wainscoting are laid in mosaic tiling. To the base of the Statue of Justice the courthouse measures 135 feet. The copper portion of the dome is approximately 35 feet and the base is 40 feet. The main building is 60 feet high. The statue is 15 feet high. With the advent of the automobile and the need for more space, the carriage entrance, that was located under the front steps was converted into a storage area for the building engineers. During the Second World War, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the dome was used twenty-four hours a day to watch for enemy aircraft. Throughout the years, and with changing needs, much of the interior has been altered. In an effort to update the interior, much of the original furnishings were sold, and the gold leaf and copper were covered with paint.
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