William H. Natcher Federal Building and United States Courthouse

The William H. Natcher Federal Building and United States Courthouse (originally the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse) is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky located in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Built in 1912, the building was renamed for U.S. Representative William Huston Natcher in 1994. It is located at 241 East Main Street.

The building is an example of Renaissance Revival architecture, symmetrical in form and with all four facades treated in the same manner. It sits on a rusticated base, and has a crowning cornice and trabeated apertures. Horizontality of detail is exhibited in the continuous bands of molding and in the parapet. It is also of local significance because the limestone was quarried locally by the Bowling Green Quarries Company. The interior spaces of the stairwell, lobby and courtroom are examples of outstanding craftsmanship. The curved marble staircase is original to the 1912 building and is the dominant feature of the building. The lobby retains features of both the 1912 and 1941 periods of construction. The courtroom was designed as a simple, yet elegant, space with paneled wainscot and plaster walls.

The building was constructed in 1912 as a U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. As the community grew and the post office expanded, there arose a need for additional postal service space. A one-story addition was built at the west facade in 1941. In the 1960s the postal service moved out and the courts and other federal agencies have occupied the space since that time. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as part of the Downtown Commercial District. It is significant to the district as an example of Renaissance Revival architecture and as a symbol of the federal presence in the community. It was renamed for Kentucky Congressional Representative William H. Natcher, who served from 1953 to 1994.

The William H. Natcher Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is a three-story Renaissance Revival white limestone building with a rusticated base. Squared limestone pilasters of minimum projection define the bays. Two bands of molding separate the rusticated base from the rest of the building. Below the limestone parapet is a bracketed, denticulated cornice. The frieze is unembellished except for simple limestone panels at the cap of each slightly projected pilaster. The central door opening at the original east elevation entry is more ornate including a transom which is detailed with high relief carvings of an American spread Eagle resting on a bracketed cartouche. The entry is set within a recessed limestone surround, surmounted by a radiating voussoir with keystone.

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