The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-04-04
COURT HOUSE :
IS COMPLETED
BROOkINGS COUNTY'S NEW CAP
ITOl BUILDING ALREADY
IN SERVICE
FINEST COURT HOUSE IN THE STATE
And One of the Best Equipped Public
Buildings in South Dakota or
Any Other State.

BTOOklnSS county S nne new court
house is practically completed and is
already in use, the county officers
hsving taken possession some time
ago. The new building is %undoubted.
ly the finest court house in South Da-
kota and is one of the best and most
completely equipped public buildings
in this country.
1t vas erected at a cost Of about
one hundred and five thousand dollars,
bonds having been voted by the vo-
tiers of the county at the general cleo
ton in the fall of 1910. The contract
for the building was let to j. B. Mel
son & Co, of Mankato, in December
of that year, and work was com.
menced just about a year ago. The
architects were Bell, lyric & Chap
man of Minneapolis, and the superin-
tendent of construction was w. d.
Barry of Minneapolis. All of these
StAAiNAilSh ~ w pC Loi
the efficient and faithful manner in
which they did their part of the
work.
The new court house is located on
the site of the old county building,
just two blocks east of the Main street
of the city. 1t occupies the center of
the block, facing west on Sixth aven-
ue.
The building is three stories high,
with a basement where the heating
plant is located, and a large tower
which provides some additional room.
The architecture is of the classic de.
sign and the building is as substanti
al looking as it is handsome. 1t is
heated by steam from it's W plant
and lighted by electricity. Each Of
office is provided with a public tele
phone and there is a private telephone
system connecting every office in the
building. 1t is connected with the
city water and sewerage systems, has
a vacuum cleaning system, and in fact
every modern improvement for the
comfort and convenience of the OH
GERS and the public has been install
led.
The building is 106x75 feet, with a
tower 17x17, and it is SO feet, 1 IL
inches from the grade line to the top
of the tower. The building is con
structed throughout of Bedford stone,
except the foundation and steps
which are of granite. 1t is as nearly
~fire-proof as is possible to construct it,
there being nc wood used except for
floors and doors. The floors through
out the building are of reinforced con
crete, with steel walls. In the offices
and court room floors Of selected
maple are laid over the concrete, and
the doors and other woodwork are
of oak. All of the vault fixtures and
part of the office furniture will be OF
steel and the wood furniture will be
of heavy oak, of the best quality that
it was possible to buy. The floors OF
all public space, including the en-
frances to the Offices are what is
known as the Teeraza Floor. The 70
+,rIe- hn,o r,orh11 urain cnntip O
four feet high, with marble pillars
running to the ceiling or all corners,
there being four kinds of marble used
in the building. The w~ainscoting and
stairs are a combination of Pink Ten
nessee and Cream Alabama; the py
laster shafts are of Veined Pocohon
tas, and the toilets are Valley Grey
The front stairs, leading from the
first to the second floors, is Of solid
marble on concrete construction, and
the two sets Of ear stairs, leading
from the first to the second and from
the second to the third floors. r o.
marble and iron construction. This
iron. as well as the iron railing
around we'll hole is what Is known
as Verd Antique.
The decorating OF the building
which ia being done by o. j. Oyen o
La Crosse, Wis. Is beautiful and the
interior finish will be the equal Of any
public building In the country. The
walls and ceilings In all the rooms
and rotundas are stained. different
shades of brown being the predomi
mating color and ara decorated in OF
in beautiful classic designs. Or
b E.~. ht ~ 81 HHf.s - 81