Dallas County - American Courthouses

Dallas County is named for George M Dallas, who was Vice President of the United States of America under James K Polk.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Greene County and Boone County

E – Polk County

S – Madison County

W – Guthrie County

Created: January 13, 1846

County Seat:

Adel 1848 – present

County Courthouse – Adel

Location: 801 Court Street / North 8th Street

Built: 1901 – 1902

Style: French Chateau

Architect: Proudfoot and Bird of Des Moines

Contractor: James Rowson and Son

Description: The building faces north and is a four story gray colored Bedford stone and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Adel. The east and west sections project and have red roofed turrets on each corner. The recessed center section has an arched entrance on the first story and rises to a third story balcony with Dike the Greek goddess of Justice at the top of the fourth story dormer. In the center of the building is a high square clock tower with small cupola at the top. In the interior are marble wainscoting along the hallways, oak wood trim, wood floors, cast iron stairs and slate stair treads and banisters of bronze metal surmounted with oak cornices. In the center is a rotunda with skylight under the dome. The County District Court courtroom is located along the east side of the third story and has an arched ceiling with restored stencils and details and a chandelier at the center. The carved judge’s bench and vintage jurors chairs remain. Also located on the third story is a small County District Court courtroom at northwest side and the Magistrate Court courtroom at the southwest side. Another County District Court courtroom is located along the west side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 5A Judicial District. In 1989 the fourth story was renovated. The architect was H Michael Youngman and the contractor was Brocon Services. In 2008 the building was renovated. The architect was Keffler/Overton Architects. In 2021 to 2022 the interior was restored. The architect was EverGreene Architectural Arts.

See: The architect, Proudfoot and Bird also designed courthouses in Greene County, Jasper County, Pocahontas County and Polk County.

See: The contractor, James Rowson and Son, also constructed courthouses in Jasper County and Johnson County.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Dallas County Courthouse

New County Courthouse (Proposed) – Adel

Location: 801 Thin Blue Line Lane / Quilan Court

Built: Unknown

Style: Modern

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building project has been approved in 2025. The courthouse will be located east of the center of Adel along highway 6 near the County Law Enforcement Center.

See: The 5A Judicial District includes Guthrie County, Jasper County, Madison County, Marion County and Warren County.

History: The county was created in 1846 and Adel was selected as the county seat in 1848 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was a double log cabin made of cottonwood logs built from 1848 to 1853. The second courthouse was built in 1853. In 1858, the third courthouse was a two story brick structure built in the center of the square at a cost of $20,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1901 to 1902 at a cost of $109,243.

County Administration Building – Adel

Location: 818 Court Street / North 9th Street

Built: 2023 – 2024

Style: Modern

Architect: Farnsworth Group Architectural Firm

Contractor: Turner Construction

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick, limestone and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds in the center of Adel on the north side of the courthouse. The center section on the south side is recessed. The roof line is flat.