Clay County Courthouse
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Location | 4th St. and 3rd Ave. Spencer, Iowa |
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Coordinates | 43°08′30.5″N 95°8′53.6″W / 43.141806°N 95.148222°WCoordinates: 43°08′30.5″N 95°8′53.6″W / 43.141806°N 95.148222°W |
Built | 1901 |
Architectural style | Classical Revival |
MPS | County Courthouses in Iowa TR |
NRHP reference # | 81000229 |
Added to NRHP | July 2, 1981 |
The Clay County Courthouse, located in Spencer, Iowa, United States, was built in 1901. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.
A commission chose Spencer Township as Clay County’s first county seat. Voters chose Peterson instead and allocated $6,000 for a courthouse. When the contractor submitted a bill for $7,500 he received $6,900. In 1871, the county seat moved to Spencer and officials constructed a courthouse for $1,333. The offices gradually outgrew the structure and they constructed a new courthouse for $4,435. The old courthouse was used for a barn, a cement block factory and then remodeled into two houses. Construction of the present facility began in 1900 the total cost was $60,000. The red stone Classical Revival building features a bronze covered dome.