Clark County Courthouse

Clark County Courthouse. . The Clark County Courthouse opened Nov. 29, 1941. Although it was not the county's first courthouse, it has endured longer than the previous three. Local architect Day Walter Hilborn designed the six-story building in the Art Deco/Art Moderne-style popular for public construction projects at the time. The structure showcased the most modern developments in the building arts. The courthouse was built of reinforced concrete to prevent fire from destroying thousands of irreplaceable documents and records, which is what happened when the county’s second courthouse burned in 1890. The courthouse originally housed all county departments, a Justice of the Peace, other agencies and a 70-inmate jail. The one windowless courtroom included separate rooms for male and female jurors. The building now houses only Clark County Superior Court and District Court courtrooms and offices. In 2014, the courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance as the headquarters of county-level government and politics, and, architecturally, as an excellent example of an Art Deco/Art Moderne-style public building., The Buckskin Brigade , Architect Day Walter Hilborn also designed the original Buckskin Brigade sculpture above the front entrance of the courthouse. Executed by architectural sculptor Vic Schneider, the bas-relief work was poured as part of the wall. It depicts an Iroquois man with two fur trappers and symbolizes the role the fur trade played establishing Clark County as a center of government and business. In 1978, workers preparing to paint the building noticed the sculpture was damaged, and it was taken down. Local citizens raised money to recreate the sculpture in bronze, and it was installed on Sept. 13, 1990., The Architect , Few people had a greater impact on southwest Washington’s built environment than architect Day Walter Hilborn. He designed many well-known downtown buildings; including the Kiggins Theatre on Main Street; the original building for The Columbian newspaper on Evergreen Boulevard and the homes of many of Vancouver’s social, political and business elite. The courthouse is perhaps Hilborn’s greatest legacy. It assured his place in local history and. brought him nationwide recognition., The First Three Courthouses , 1. Clark County’s first courthouse was a two-story, wood frame structure built in 1855 on West Reserve Street, near Fort Vancouver. Cost: $1,000, 2. The second courthouse was a three-story brick building that stood in approximately the same location as today’s courthouse. Built in late 1883, it went up in flames 7 ½ years later, destroying a large number of public records. Cost: $44,460, 3. The third courthouse was a Romanesque style, three-story brick building with a large clock tower. Built in 1892, it stood slightly to the south of today’s courthouse. The county outgrew it by the late 1930s, and it was replaced by the current courthouse and demolished. Cost: $65,000, Captions , (Photo #1) Top: The courthouse shortly after it opened in 1941, Source: Washington State Archives , (Photo #2) Bottom, left to right: 1941 photos of employees of the Clerk's Office on the fourth floor; Superior Court in session; and the Sheriff's Office on the ground floor , (Photo #3) Image courtesy of the State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation