Tama County - American Courthouses

Tama County is named for any of several Native American chiefs or chief’s wives.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Grundy County and Black Hawk County

E – Benton County

S – Poweshiek County

W – Marshall County and Grundy County

Created: February 17, 1843

County Seat:

Toledo 1843 – present

County Courthouse – Toledo

Location: 100 West High Street / Broadway Street

Built: 1866 – 1867

Style: Romanesque

Architect: W R Parsons & Son (1892)

Contractor: P B McCullough of Toledo / H B Belton

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Toledo. The south front has a large white colored stone arch with recessed entrance. The west side rises to a peaked roof with third story window. A large square brick tower rises five stories above the entrance and has a clock and four-sized steep roof. The foundation is stone and the roof is corrugated iron. On the west side the walls rise to a peak. In the interior, there is oak trim and wood stairs. The County District Court courtroom is located on the north side of the second story. The County Magistrate Court is located on the southeast side of the first story. The building houses the County District Court of the 6th Judicial District and the County Magistrate Court. Construction was completed by H B Belton. In 1892, the building was enlarged and remodeled from Italianate style to Richardson Romanesque style. The architect was W R Parsons and Son. The Old County Jail built in 1890 is located to the northeast.

Note: The county accepted a $5,000 bid from P B McCullough of Toledo for the second courthouse. H B Belton was the contractor who completed construction. Although the final cost was $22,000, the county paid only the $5,000.

See: The 6th Judicial District includes Benton County, Iowa County, Johnson County, Jones County and Linn County.

History: The county was created in 1843 and Toledo was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure built in 1854 at a cost of $1,300. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1866 to 1867 at a cost of $22,000. The building was enlarged and remodeled in 1892.

County Administration Building – Toledo

Location: 104 West State Street / Broadway Street

Built: Unknown

Style: Modern

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces south and is a two story gray colored cladding, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Toledo on the north side of the courthouse. The south front has a large window above the central entrance.