Don't auction off windows
Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008
PIERRE, S.D. -- While spending Thanksgiving weekend in Sioux City with my family, I read with interest the article regarding the windows on the Woodbury County Courthouse (Sunday, 11/30). Apparently, the original windows were removed in the 1960s and have been left to deteriorate in the basement for the last 40 years. How sad! The Woodbury County Courthouse was designed by William Steele, who studied under and worked with Louis Sullivan, and it is recognized as a National Historic Landmark for its architecture. The NHL program recognizes historic places for their "exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States." There are fewer than 2,500 of these landmarks in the entire nation.
The Woodbury County Courthouse was named as an NHL because of its Prairie School architecture. The nomination states that it is "the only major civic building by a Prairie School architect," and as such, it is recognized nationwide as a significant example of
this uniquely American style of architecture. To have removed the windows to the basement is bad enough, but to auction them off is unthinkable. Each original piece of this building contributes to the integrity of the building as a whole, and once a piece is sold or given away, it is gone forever.
I urge the county to rethink the possibility of selling the windows. Instead, consider restoring them to their original beauty and reinstalling them in their proper locations. At the very least, keep them in storage until the money can be budgeted to restore a few at a time. Please do what is right by the building - not only to be good stewards of the courthouse, but also to save this architectural treasure in its entirety for future generations to appreciate. -- Kate (Divis) Nelson (former Sioux City resident)
The Woodbury County Courthouse was named as an NHL because of its Prairie School architecture. The nomination states that it is "the only major civic building by a Prairie School architect," and as such, it is recognized nationwide as a significant example of
this uniquely American style of architecture. To have removed the windows to the basement is bad enough, but to auction them off is unthinkable. Each original piece of this building contributes to the integrity of the building as a whole, and once a piece is sold or given away, it is gone forever.
I urge the county to rethink the possibility of selling the windows. Instead, consider restoring them to their original beauty and reinstalling them in their proper locations. At the very least, keep them in storage until the money can be budgeted to restore a few at a time. Please do what is right by the building - not only to be good stewards of the courthouse, but also to save this architectural treasure in its entirety for future generations to appreciate. -- Kate (Divis) Nelson (former Sioux City resident)
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birddog wrote on Dec 3, 2008 9:53 PM:
DunkinWillie wrote on Dec 3, 2008 10:11 AM: