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Sioux City's Public Buildings Are Beautiful and Useful

Woodbury County Courthouse unique example of new western
architecture—new city fire and police headquarters fills need.

SIOUX CITY is the seat of the county government for Woodbury County as well as the city government. The latter has had only a few changes since establishment of the city. The present type of city government in operation in Sioux City is that of Commission Form and is considered one of the most successful types in the United States. Incorporation in 1857 was the first step. By 1865 the city had a population of 2,000 and became a second class city. By 1886 there was a population of 15,000 and the city was admitted to the ranks of first class cities.

In 1910, at a special election, the Commission plan was adopted. This provides for a full time paid council of five members who devote their entire time to the management of city affairs. One member is the mayor, the others are commissioners of public safety, finance, parks and public property, and streets and public improvements, respectively. These councilmen are elected for a term of two years by the voters of the city. Upon them falls the entire responsibility of governing the city.

The government of the city is housed in the City Hall at the present time. This is a stone building containing six stories and basement at the corner of Sixth and Douglas streets. The police department joins the city hall but will be removed to a new building now being constructed at Sixth and Water Streets, as soon as this building is completed. The fire department consists of eight stations distributed over the city in such a way that any point is only a few minutes run from a station. The fire force consists of approximately 80 men, manning a battery of modern motor driven hose trucks, hook and ladder trucks and chemical machines.

The county government is important but less conspicuous than the city government in a city the size of Sioux City. This county's government is vested in five county supervisors who occupy the legislature and executive departments through their appointed or elected officials. They occupy the same relation to the county as the city council does to the city. The county government is housed in the beautiful Woodbury County courthouse.

WOODBURY COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Described by a traveler as the most imposing and inspiring piece of architecture between coasts in the United States, stands the Woodbury County courthouse in Sioux

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City. A writer in the Western Architect, describes it as follows:

"Serene, almost impudent it stands there. You feel a sense of illusion about its reality which leaves you presently to be followed by the feeling that the building itself is the only reality and its surroundings are the phantoms. Unconsciously you find yourself eliminating the incongrous [incongruous] environment and seeing the building surrounded by a kind of Elysian field from which goes up the unclouded Iowa sky a gentle murmur that can only be caused by grown-ups happily at work, and, yes, you can hear also the sweet voices of children at play."

The building permits of volumes of written descriptions and weeks or months of study. As you study it, it grows intensely more interesting and a day's tour of it leaves one with the impression that they have only barely seen it. It is a stately building of Roman brick, granite at the base and at the copings, enlivened with beautifully modeled polychrome terra cotta. The entrance is beautified with mosaic and bronze doors. High above the entrance is the figure of an American Eagle stretching forth its wings emblematic of liberty. Figures of bisons symbolize the early days of this country. The color scheme is wonderful--the brick is light brown with varying shades of this color brought out by the terra cotta. The windows are metal frames with delicate and beautiful rich colors adding charm to the first glance of the building.

Not only is the building beautiful but also it is useful. The base or major section covers an entire quarter block, 150 by 150 feet. It is two full stories with high ceilings and contains the larger offices with which the public deals, such as treasurer's office, recorder's office, sheriff offices and others. It also contains four spacious court rooms and numerous other rooms, such as jury rooms, equity court room, witness rooms and judges offices. Towering above this base portion for a total height of eight stories is a tower—no, not the old type and useless dome surmounted tower, but a useful square tower with offices, everyone of which are exposed to the outside light and air.

The entire building is equipped with every modern convenience such as elevators, drinking fountains, telephones and others. The interior is finished in beautiful colors with a number of muriels [murals] that are excellent pieces of art. The idea one gets in veiwing [viewing] or studying the building is that here is where art, commerce and government have joined in building a real monument to the spirit that prevailed in the county at that time. W. L. Steels, a Sioux City architect, designed the building. The fame of the designer and the builder has spread rapidly over the country.

The building as a whole is strictly fireproof. The only woodwork is a little for ornamental purposes, and desks and chairs. All doors, windows, filing cases and other parts of this nature are art metal. Floors are terrazzo, tile, cork or linoleum. Marble is used with fine effect in the rotunda and court rooms. There is evidence throughout

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Municipal Building Sioux City, IA.

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of care in selecting and placing the different materials used in the construction of the building. There is a sense of fitness on every hand of the various rooms, corridors and offices as well as the materials and the permanent furnishings.

The building was completed for about $850,000, but could hardly be replaced at a million now. Economy of construction and arrangement is seen as one goes through the building. The basement, for instance, which is usually a great junk pile or unsystematic store room, is carefully arranged into assigned store rooms in this building. The various offices of the building are given the amount of fireproof, naturally ventilated storage space that they need.

There is scarcely a week or month passes that delegations are not received from other cities or architects from other places are shown over the building. Its fame has spread probably as far as any other structure in the city unless it was the famous corn palaces of the early nineties when special trains came from the east. It is safe to say that the Woodbury County Courthouse will be copied for many years in other parts of the country.

THE NEW MUNICIPAL BUILDING
(Under construction)

Sioux City's newest municipal building, now under construction at Sixth and Water streets, which will be the headquarters for the fire and police departments, will be 133 feet by 140 feet in size, three stories and basement, of fireproof construction with Oolitic limestone and face brick exterior. It was designed by E. R. Swanson, architect, of Sioux City. It is being erected under his supervision.
The basement will provide storage space for the city automobiles and unidentified recovered stolen cars, two comfort stations with direct entrance from the outside, electrician shops and storage rooms. The north half of the first floor will be used by the police department, with garage, captain and desk sergeants' offices, booking pen, police assembly room, locker and shower, reporters booth, switchboard and battery rooms. The south half will be used by the fire department, with apparatus room, repair shop and watchman's room.

The second floor will contain offices for the various branches of the fire and police departments, firemen's dormitory, assembly and lunch rooms, gymnasium for the use of the members of both departments, and locker rooms. The third floor will contain three municipal court rooms with court and judges' offices, a modern city jail with male, female, juvenile and detention cell rooms, police matron's office and quarters. The hospital and city police surgeon's office will also be on this floor.

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Surrounded By Good Roads Sioux City is Motorists' Paradise

Woodbury County most progressive in state when it comes to building hard surface roads.

WOODBURY COUNTY, of which Sioux City is the county seat and only large city, is Iowa's most progressive county in the matter of building hard surface roads. The vast numbers of cars in operation in this country and the thousands of people who choose the automobile for vacationing or for business travel have made heavy demands upon the western states for better roads. The state of Iowa is now coming rapidly to the front in the question of roads. Although getting started late, she is now leading most states in actual construction.

The end of the present building season will find 55 miles of concrete roads in Woodbury county. This, together with the paved streets within the city limits of Sioux City, give over 200 miles of hard surfaced road in the county that are open to the driving public. This accounts for Sioux City being called the "Motorist's Paradise." With the numbered highways of Iowa and the numerous marked highways leading out of the city into the three states, it is not difficult for anyone to select a beautiful route for a tour. Except in extreme bad weather there are good highways in every direction out of the city.

During the touring season thousands of cars pass through the city weekly, going in every direction. They come from every corner of the United States and are headed for every other corner. The people of Sioux City themselves take advantage of the wonderful roads and seek out half day, day, week end or longer trips to the surrounding territory. One of the most popular drives is out of Sioux City to the Iowa Great Lakes, in the northern part of the state.

But touring and "joy riding" are not the only uses of the highway. The motor truck plays an important part in the transportation life of Sioux City. The wholesale houses and retail stores have found that they can deliver their products by truck over a large radius cheaper than the expense of packing and shipping. This is on short hauls only and does not, of course, affect railroad shipments. There are a number of organized truck lines out of Sioux City and from the small towns into Sioux City hauling products of the farm to the city and manufactured products back to the country. This has had a great effect upon the live stock business where nearly a quarter of a million hogs were received last year by truck.

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The highway officials of the county are working towards paved roads from Sioux City to the county limits in all directions and they hope that the adjacent counties will take up the broken thread at the boundaries. These paved roads, which now lead out of the city in every direction, mean as much to the farmer as to the tourists. It means that his produce can reach the market at most advantageous times and at less expense than when he was forced to plow mud.

The marked highways have been heavy influences in many instances in the bettering of roads. They are at least the shortest routes and are easy to follow. One can get on a marked highway at Sioux City and not worry about the best road or the shortest route until he lands at his destination. They have taken the guess work out of traveling and made it a map reading and sign following proposition.

While there are many named highways and numerous local roads, the following are the leading organized and marked ones out of Sioux City:

King of Trails, South--Leads to points in southwestern Iowa and to Council Bluffs and Omaha.

Custer Battlefield Highway, South--Follows same route as King of Trails.

Denison Highway--Leads southeast over paved road as far as Salix to Denison where connections are made with Lincoln Highway going east.

Grant Highway, East--Follows Iowa Highway No. 23 out of city along Moville paved road, leads to Ft. Dodge and to Chicago by northern route.

King of Trails, North--Goes through LeMars and to Minnesota line by direct route and on to Canada, crosses Yellowstone National Highway at Ortonville.

Custer Battlefield Highway, North--Goes up east side of Sioux river to Akron, Hawarden and to Sioux Falls, S. D., turns west and leads to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks.

King of Trails, South Dakota Branch--Crosses Sioux river at Sioux City and goes north through South Dakota to Sioux Falls; joins other section in Minnesota.

Sunshine Highway -- Begins at Sioux City, passes through South Dakota and North Dakota and reaches Canada.

Grant Highway, West--Crosses river at Sioux City and follows through northern Nebraska to the mountains.

Grainland Highway--Starts in Nebraska across the river from Sioux City and goes southeast to Grand Island, Nebraska.

George Washington National Highway--Starts across the river and takes Nebraska side to Omaha.

Cornhusker Highway--Starts across river and follows last mentioned trail to Oakland, then goes south to Fremont and on through Nebraska.

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