I haven’t encountered many Art Deco courthouses in my travels. Indiana only has three, so it’s always a special treat when I come across one. I remember how excited I was during a trip to Elkins, West Virginia about six years ago. As I drove home, I passed several courthouses that captured the diversity of architectural styles in the area. But it was Harrison County’s courthouse that truly grabbed my attention. Its towering Art Deco design was unlike anything I had seen before—bold, sleek, and standing tall like a monument to a bygone era.
Harrison County has been home to five courthouses over its 240-year history. Although its land was part of Augusta County during the Virginia Colony days, Harrison County became part of Monongalia County in 18761. Named after a recently retired governor of Virginia, the county was officially organized in 1784. Three years later, officials built a frame courthouse at the corner of Main and Second Streets in Clarksburg for $550. It lasted until 1811, when a two-story brick building was erected a block away2.
Built in 1856, Harrison County’s third courthouse was another two-story brick building, one that saw West Virginia separate from Virginia in 1863. Twenty-six years later, officials hired prolific architect George Bunting to build a three-story, red-brick courthouse3 with a monumental, five-story bell tower4 for $46,0005.
As impressive as it was upon completion, Bunting’s courthouse was showing its age as the 1920s rolled around. A series of failed bond issuances prevented commissioners from funding a replacement, so the Harrison County Court raised funds with a tax levy instead6. A closed contest was held to determine who would design the structure, and a variety of architects submitted designs.
Ultimately, officials chose Walker and Weeks of Cleveland to draw plans for the new courthouse but appointed local architects Edward J. Wood and Son to serve as associates7. Construction on the building began in 1931 and finished the following year. John W. Davis, a former ambassador to England who began practicing law in Clarksburg, gave the building’s dedication address8.
Standing in the heart of downtown Clarksburg, the six-story Harrison County Courthouse faces north towards a narrow plaza. The building’s central block, with three bays, is composed of structural steel clad in buff limestone accented by black granite around its foundation and main entrance. White metal eagles sculpted by Henry Hering feature extended wings that emphasize the sense of verticality found in the rest of the courthouse above its first floor9.
Above its sixth-story windows, the central block of the courthouse is crowned by a series of roundels with carvings of the scales of justice that frame a central clock. The building’s recessed east and west wings rise five stories and extend two bays wide.
When the courthouse was first built, local newspapers highlighted its elegant interior, including its vibrant black, white, and green marble and the rich variety of woods employed in the circuit courtroom10. Today, the building houses the County Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit, as well as the County Magistrates Court and Family Court. The majority of the building’s offices moved out into the Harrison County General Services building behind the courthouse in 202311.
For a city of just 16,000 people, Clarksburg’s skyline surprised me. It packs a punch! Despite being nestled between the towering eleven-story Union National Bank building and the striking nine-story Renaissance Revival Goff Building, the Harrison County Courthouse holds its own as a standout. The Art Deco gem, now more than ninety years old, still commands attention with its bold lines and elegance.
It’s incredible how a courthouse can become such a defining landmark in a city like Clarksburg, standing tall and proud amidst other architectural giants. It’s a reminder that history and design can leave a lasting imprint, no matter the size of the town or the other designs downtown.
TL;DR
Harrison County (pop. 64,526, 7/55)
Clarksburg (pop. 15,647)
Built: 1932
Cost: $130,643
Architect: Walker and Weeks, Wood & Son
Style: Art Deco
Courthouse Square: Lancaster Square
Height: Six stories
Current Use: County offices and courts
Photographed: 4/23/2018
Sources Cited
1 Hess, A.J. (1978). History of Medicine in Harrison County, West Virginia. Harrison County Medical Society [Clarksburg]. Book.
2 Deacon, J. “Harrison County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
3 Courthouse History. Keith Vincent. 2018. Web. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
4 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia (1911, July). Web. Retriebed September 22, 2024.
5 See footnote 2)
6 Chambers, S. A. (2012). Harrison County Courthouse (Clarksburg, West Virginia). SAH Archipedia [Charlottesville]. Web. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
7 (See footnote 6)
8 State Briefs (1932, November 11). The Charleston Daily Mail. p. 3.
9 (See footnote 6)
10 (See footnote 2)
11 Lamp, J. (2023, November 7). Majority of Harrison County Courthouse offices relocated to new building. 12WBOY [Clarksburg]. Web. Retriebed September 22, 2024.
I love art deco-era architecture like this. I wonder if the design trend would have lasted longer had the Great Depression not beenso long or severe.