The Fayette County Courthouse in West Union, Iowa, United States was built in 1923. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The current courthouse is the third facility to house court functions and county administration.HistoryThe first courthouse in Fayette County was brick building measuring 40x in West Union constructed for $8,000. A prisoner in the jail facilities set fire to the structure as he escaped in 1872. Another courthouse was built two years later. Because of growth in the county it had a successions of additions and improvements between 1894-1896. In 1922, this courthouse was also destroyed in a fire and work began quickly to replace it. The cornerstone of current facility was laid June 21, 1923 and it was dedicated October 8, 1924, with a final cost of $299,000. The Beaux-Arts building, designed by John G. Ralston, is three stories with a raised basement and is faced in Bedford Stone. Large pilasters separate window bays on the second and third stories and the building is accessed through solid bronze doors. At opening, the building housed a room displaying memorabilia from the Grand Army of the Republic.
