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Monterey County Court House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Monterey County Court House viewed from the southeast
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Interactive map showing the location of Monterey County Courthouse
Location	240 Church St., Salinas, California
Coordinates	36°40′25″N 121°39′26″W / 36.67361°N 121.65722°W / 36.67361; -121.65722
Area	1.3 acres (0.53 ha)
Built	1878
Architect	Robert Stanton
Sculptor	Joseph Jacinto Mora
Architectural style	Modern Movement, WPA Modern
Demolished	1937
Restored	1937
NRHP reference No.	08000878
Added to NRHP	January 8, 2009

The Monterey County Court House is the court house for Monterey County in Salinas, California, United States.

History

The first Monterey County Court House was built in 1878, designed by Jacob Lenez, Jr., which was a brick Victorian building. The courthouse remained in use until 1937, when it was demolished. Today a courtyard, lily pond, and commemorative sculpture occupy the site.

The second court house was designed by local architect Robert Stanton in the Art Moderne or WPA Moderne style, and was built in 1937 using funds provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The courthouse features extensive sculpture by Joseph Jacinto Mora. It is currently used by the Monterey County Superior Court.

Stanton designed the courthouse to be built around the previous courthouse leaving a landscaped courtyard space surrounded by an arcade. The two and three story concrete structure cost $450,000, with two stories in concrete and a glass-and-steel third floor the rear of the complex. It is extensively embellished by Mora's sculpture and reliefs, with comparatively sober detailing around the perimeter and more extensive decoration on the courtyard elevations, with customized relief friezes at the tops of the fluted rectangular arcade columns. Small bronze castings decorate the doors and a large freestanding Mora sculpture in travertine forms the centerpiece of the courtyard. Subjects were drawn from the history of California. There are a total of 62 busts of individuals from California history in the window spandrels, and five travertine reliefs of scenes from Monterey County history.

The courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 8, 2009.

• Center courtyard Mora sculpture after renovations
• Base of Mora sculpture
• Jo Mora art
• Center courtyard
• Completed renovations
• Monterey County District Attorney's Office

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Renison and Farley (1894). Resources of Monterey County Midwinter Fair Edition. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-01-05. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
3. "History of The Court". Monterey Courts. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
4. "Monterey County". www.courthouses.co. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
5. Hiller, Peter (November 2007). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Monterey County Court House". National Park Service. Retrieved 9 May 2012.

Further reading

• McDevitt, Ray (2001). Courthouses of California: an Illustrated History. Berkeley, CA: California Historical Society. p. 365. ISBN 1-890771-49-X.

External links

• Official website

• Government buildings completed in 1937
• Buildings and structures in Salinas, California
• County courthouses in California
• Streamline Moderne architecture in California
• Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in California
• Works Progress Administration in California
• National Register of Historic Places in Monterey County, California