Burleigh County Courthouse
E. Thayer Ave., Bismarck, NDThe Burleigh County courthouse is significant for the role it has played in the history of county government and because it houses many county offices and official records.
As an architectural achievement it contains the most extensive collection of original artwork of any Art Deco courthouse or other courthouse newly considered in this nomination. No other post-1920 courthouse in the state uses painting as freely for decoration. This practice is reminiscent of the decorative traditions commonly employed by monumental public architecture in the nineteenth century until the teens of the twentieth century.
Further, the aluminum spandrels are an unusual building feature among Deco courthouses in the state, but in keeping with the style's use of exotic materials for decoration. Minot architect, Ira Rush, who gained several commissions for North Dakota courthouses, made an effort to maintain a consistency of design between the spandrels and the stairway hand rail. The similarity of their design motifs adds to the artistic quality of the building.
Consistency of detailing extends to the jail, as well. It is contemporaneous with the courthouse and echoes the latter's styling. Thus, for planning purposes, the jail shall be considered part of the significant resource.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.