Warren - American Courthouses

Warren County is named for Joseph Warren, who was a general in the American Revolutionary War.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Polk County

E – Marion County

S – Lucas County and Clarke County

W – Madison County

Created: January 13, 1846

County Seat:

Indianola 1846 – present

County Justice Center – Indianola

Location: 115 North Howard Street / Salem Avenue

Built: 2019 – 2022

Style: Modern

Architect: Shive-Hattery Inc. of Chicago

Contractor: DCI Group, Inc.

Description: The building faces east and is a two story gray colored brick, glass, steel and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Indianola. The east front has a projecting central glass and red colored exterior section with entrance on the first story. At the top, a black colored canopy extends outwards. The north front section has a black colored exterior with long vertical windows and the south front section has light gray colored exterior with projecting windows on the second story. The building has a full basement and the roof line is flat. In the interior, a high atrium runs east-west with the jail section on the north side and the courts section on the south side. There are two County District Court courtrooms on the first story and two more County District Court courtrooms on the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 5A Judicial District.

County Courthouse (demolished) – Indianola

Location: 115 North Howard Street / Salem Avenue

Built: 1938

Style: Art Deco

Architect: Keffer and Jones of Des Moines

Contractor: F B Dickinson & Company of Des Moines, Hoofnagle & Miller and Capital Electric Company

Description: The building faced east and was a two story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building was located on landscaped grounds in the center of the city. The center section was recessed with a wide framed entrance. Buff colored brick trimmed the north and south ends and along the sides of the building. The building had a flat roof. An addition was constructed in 1988 and 1989. The architect was Frevert Ramsey Kobes and the contractor was Ringland Johnson Crowley.

See: The 5A Judicial District includes Dallas County, Guthrie County, Jasper County, Marion County.

History: The county was created in 1846 and Indianola was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log cabin built in 1851. The second courthouse was a Victorian structure designed by C A Dunham and constructed by Jacob Reichard in 1868. The third courthouse was constructed in 1938 at a cost of $145,000. The fourth and present courthouse is under construction at a cost of $30,000,000.

County Administration Building – Indianola

Location: North 301 Buxton Street / Clinton Avenue

Built: 1923 – 1925

Style: Schoolhouse / Gothic

Architect: Grahn & Rathurst of Minneapolis, Minnesota

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Indianola to the north of the courthouse. The interior is brick with a “U” shaped hallway with auditorium in the center, The building was the Indianola High School and was acquired by the county in 1998 and renovated from 1998 to 1999 at a cost of $180,000. The architect was Wells Woodburn O’Neil and the contractor was Breiholz Construction.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Indianola High School