The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-11-29
THE new COURT HOUSE

The Board of Supervisors Have De-
Cided on the Plans and Hope to
let the Contract in January.
The board of supervisors and several
of the prominent citizens of Leon spent
several days last week in visiting other
cities and inspecting the new court
past few years, going first to Bedford,
then to Charlton, Abba and Centerville,
in all of which cities they have fine
modern court houses. After carefully
examining all the good features of the
different buildings, the board unani-
mously decided that the new court
house at Centerville, with some slight
changes in the interior would be just
what was wanted for Decatur county.
The same firm Of architects, Smith,
Wetherell & Gage, of Des Moines, drew
the plans for the court houses at both
Abba and Centerville, and Mr.. o. G.
Smith, the senior member of the firm
accompanied the board to these cities
and gave them much useful informa-
tion. A special meeting of the board
of supervisors was held on Friday and
a contract entered into with Smith,
Wetherell & Gage to draw up set of
plans and specifications embodying the
changes desired and they are now at
work on them. The board will meet
again on Monday, Dec. 3rd, and it is
hoped the plans and specifications will
be ready by that time so that they can
advertise for bids and let the contract
sometime in January, SO that the con-
tractor can go ahead and make early
contracts for steel, stone and brick and
push the work along as soon as spring
comes so that the new building can be
finished and occupied next winter.
We present to our readers this week
splendid engraving of the court house
at Centerville, and the one at Leon will
be an exact counterpart, so far as the
the court house at Centerville is built
entirely of stone the one at Leon will
be Bedford stone to the top of the base
ment and the best quality of pressed
or vitritied brick used above that.
Many people think that brick build
ing looks better than one built entirely
OF stone, as the stone grows dark with
age and there is no means of brighten
ing t,up. Another reason is the cost,
as saving of about $4,000 can be made
in using brick above the basement
story.
The new building will be SOx9O feet,
facing the west, although there will be
entrances to the basement on all four
sides, and it will be a magnificent
structure and one of which the citizens
of Leon and all Decatur county will feel
proud of. The modern court houses
nowadays are built without vaults except
one large storage vault, the entire build
ing being tireproof, and the room oc.
cupied by the vaults is utilized for
other purposes. The floors will be of
concrete or tile, steel beams being used
in the construction, so that each Office
will in fact be fire proof vault. Ample
Office room is thus provided for all the
county officers, including the county at
torney and county superintendent who
now use rooms outside the court house.
There will be room for the use Of the
board of supervisors, county surveyor,
jury rooms, private room for the use of
the judges and county attorney in con-
will be kept the countys law library.
There will be waiting rooms for wit
nesses and a separate rest room for the
ladies', with ample water closets on each
floor and every modern convenience.
The roof will be of slate.
The board acted wisely in adopting
plans without delay, as in case they had
waited two Or three months it would
have BEEN impossible to have let con-
tract in time SO the building could be
completed the coming year. 1t takes
time to get material for a building like
new court house, especially the steel
and stone which enters largely into the
construction. The board was assured
by architect Smith that with the
changes to be made in the interior and
the change from stone to brick above
the basement story that the building
can be erected within the sum voted for
$4,000. to which will be added the
$1,000 donated by the citizens of Leon.
The contract for the Centerville court
house was let for little less than
$4,000, without the furniture.
The citizens of Abba speak in high
prase Of architect Smith, his work in
both places having been entirely salts
factory. With the experience they
have had in the Centerville and Abba
court houses they will be able to make
changes to remedy any small defects in
the interior arrangements and it can
safely be said that when completed
Leon will have one of the finest and
most convenient court houses in south
ernIowa, ii not in the whole state, all
though there are of course many which
cost many thousands of dollars more.
Dedication of Weldon N. e. Church.
The new NJ. E. church at Weldon will
be dedicated with appropriate exercises
on next Sunday, Dec. End, Rev. Fletcher
Homan, of Indianola, acting president
of Simpson college, officiating. The
morning service will be at 10 O'Clock,
and the evening service at 7:3O o'clock.
On Friday evening of this week there
will be preaching by Rev. Edwards, of
Humeston, and on Saturday evening by
presiding elder B. F. Miller, of Indian
ola The Mathodists of Weldon are