Arizona republican., 1920-08-24

4 Surrounded by one-story adobe build kings with flat roofs, the old Maricopa County court house, soon to be con sdemned if the call for bonds for a new tcourt house is successful, was, at it's scompletion in 1884, monarch of all it Surveyed. Arising from the sage brush (which covered the court yard, it loomed like million dollar mansion and was sthe pride of the county. The -cupalo (which contains the clock was by far the Ehighest building top in the city. posi- stion which 36 years later is to be as- asumed by the new seven story Heard Building.
 < When first built, the old court house Twas the largest brick building in the scounty and probably was the most pre- ktentious edifice in the territory. There kwere at that time only three other brick Buildings in the city. One, the largest 4of the three, was the brick building (which is at present occupied by the zBayless grocery company. The others fwere brick church in the southwest aern part of the town and brick resi- Adence along North Central avenue. E Along the frort of the court yard on Washington street was a row of cotton kthe present site of the city hall. In kfhe early days, pioneers recall. the In- edians used to tie their horses to the esage brush in the court yard when they kcame to town to trade. No cement walks were laid in those days and the walks leading to the wooden steps in Sfront of the court house were made of sgrayel. The brick used in the con tstruction as well as the lumber was all Shipped into Phoenix. According to those who watched the construction of tthe old court house as it rose from the kdesert. it is the best built building in tPhoenix today.
 Gave Court Haisse Site
 The block on which the court house stands was formerly part of the Judge Porter estate. When bonds for the tcourt house had been voted and the orders given to construct the building. Judge Porter came forward with free soffer Of that block. It cost the county fonly S1. The building cost $70, 900 when completed, clock and all. On the north west corner of the building is a brass splate of the geological survey which shows the elevation or the site of the Ebuilding to be l .090 feet above the sea.
 For the first 30 years of it's life, the court house more than filled all require sments and the court room in which di- vision No. l of the superior court now holds sessions was rented to the federal district court at certain times of the zxear. When first built, the jail and asheriffs office was in the rooms now occupied by a part of the supervisors office and the county rreasurer's office.
 Tn 1894 it was decided to build a new jail and sheriffs office and $25,000 in bonds were voted for the purpose. This, however, was not enough and $30,000 more was added. The present jail cost s30,000 and was the finest county jail in the state until the new one at Pres colt was built Then 1t was found in 1915 that the board Of supervisors, who had taken offices in the place formerly occupied by the jail needed more room Another necessary and the brick portion of the east wing of the house was constructed The first floor was connected to the supervisors office and the upper floor was made into court room for divi- sion No Z, which was created in that year with Judge Frank H. Lyman on the bench.
 Completed in 1884
 The next spring the office of the county treasurer, which was placed in the office vacated by the sheriff when he moved into his new quarters in 1894 was found to be inadequate for the growing county, and the west wing one story high, was constructed Since that time no Improvements have been made to the court house which is now found to be far inadequate for the needs of the county. Filing room in the present building is very crowded as are the office spaces and several county offices are in other buildings.
 The county of Maricopa was created February 28, 1871, and on May IS of the same year, Phoenix was designated as the county seat. In February, 1875, the lot just east of the present site of tho National Bank of Arizona, containing an adobe one-story building was pur. chased and until the present building was finished in 1884, the justice anc higher courts met in that building. Tn, jail was in a small adobe building bacl
 Of the court house. The site of the