Misplaced Pages

Barnstable County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Barnstable County Courthouse in 2014
Show map of Cape CodShow map of MassachusettsShow map of the United States
Location	3195 Main St., Barnstable, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°42′5″N 70°18′17″W / 41.70139°N 70.30472°W / 41.70139; -70.30472
Built	1831
Architect	Taylor, Jacob & Abner; Parris, Alexander
Architectural style	Greek Revival
Part of	Old King's Highway Historic District (ID87000314)
NRHP reference No.	81000104
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 11, 1981
Designated CP	March 12, 1987

The Barnstable County Courthouse is an historic courthouse at 3195 Main Street in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The two-story Greek Revival building was built in 1831 to a design by architect Alexander Parris. It is built mostly out of Quincy granite, although its front portico and fluted Doric columns are made of wood fashioned to look like stone. The building has been expanded five times between 1879 and 1971, with each addition made in a style sensitive to its original styling, and its main courtroom features original Federal styling. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and included in the Old King's Highway Historic District in 1987. The Barnstable Superior Court is located in the building.

Description and history

The courthouse is set on the south side of Main Street (Massachusetts Route 6A, also known as the Old King's Highway), at the western edge of a complex housing administrative facilities of Barnstable County. The building consists of a north-facing original rectangular two-story block, behind which a series of symmetrically-arranged wings have been built. The original block, designed by the renowned architect Alexander Parris, measures 65 by 26 feet (19.8 m × 7.9 m), and is fashioned out of large blocks of Quincy granite. It is fronted by a Greek temple front, consisting of a triangular pediment supported by four fluted Doric columns. The temple front, including the columns, is fashioned out of wood finished to give the appearance of stone. The main courtroom has retained most of its original woodwork and trim, including some of its original furnishings.

The building has been repeatedly enlarged to meet increased need for facilities. All of these expansions continued the use of Quincy granite, giving the building a unified feel. In 1879 the building was enlarged to the rear, and in 1889 a single-story ell was added extending east from the rear. In 1906 the eastern ell was raised to two stories and a matching two-story ell was added to the west. These ells were extended further to the southwest and southeast with two-story additions in 1925. The building underwent a major rehabilitation in 1971, at which time a small addition was added to south, centered between the last two additions.

Gallery

• Bronze sculpture of James Otis, Jr stands to the left of the courthouse entrance
• Bronze sculpture of Mercy Otis Warren stands to the right of the courthouse entrance
• Barnstable County Court House, in Barnstable

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Barnstable County, Massachusetts

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. ^ "MACRIS inventory record for Barnstable County Courthouse". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved February 26, 2014.

External links

• Media related to Barnstable County Courthouse at Wikimedia Commons
• Barnstable Superior Court website

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Topics	Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types
Lists by county	Barnstable Berkshire Bristol Dukes Essex Franklin Hampden Hampshire Middlesex Nantucket Norfolk Plymouth Suffolk Worcester (northern)
Lists by city	Barnstable County Barnstable Harwich Bristol County Fall River New Bedford Taunton Essex County Andover Gloucester Ipswich Lawrence Lynn Methuen Salem Hampden County Springfield Middlesex County Arlington Cambridge Concord Framingham Lexington Lowell Marlborough Medford Newton Reading Sherborn Somerville Stoneham Wakefield Waltham Weston Winchester Norfolk County Brookline Milton Quincy Suffolk County Boston northern southern Worcester County Southbridge Uxbridge Worcester eastern northwestern southwestern
Other lists	Bridges Cape Cod National Seashore National Historic Landmarks Boston
Category National Register of Historic Places portal United States portal

• Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
• National Register of Historic Places in Barnstable, Massachusetts
• Buildings and structures in Barnstable, Massachusetts
• County courthouses in Massachusetts
• Government buildings completed in 1831
• Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts