The 1926 San Bernardino County Courthouse was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
From the Nomination Form: (
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"8. Narrative Statement of Significance
The San Bernardino County Court House property appears eligible for
listing in the National Register of Historic Places at the local level under National Register Criterion A for the role it has played as the seat of county government and under National Register Criterion C as the only extant example of Neo-Classical design in the City of San Bernardino. The period of significance starts when the courthouse was completed in 1927 and ends at 1947, the arbitrary 50-year cut-off. The main building is still in use today as a courthouse. The buildings and other objects on the property which fall within the context of county government and were constructed or added during the period of significance and retain their integrity contribute additionally to the historic character of courthouse property.
As evidence of original use of the courthouse, construction documents provide, the following uses: county library, assessor's records, welfare commission, auditor's records, farm bureau, clerk's records, recorders records,, surveyor, sheriff, assessor, tax collector, treasurer, auditor, recorder, clerk, three court rooms, superintendent of schools, law library, district attorney, board of supervisors, jail cells (28 cells for males, seven cells for females, and two solitary cells) and ancillary kitchen, jailer and matron bedrooms. The name "courthouse" clearly belied the intended use of the facility as a county hall of administration with appurtenant courtrooms.
Since 1927, the courthouse property has served as the seat of county government. The services provided in the building were essential to the health and well-being of the county and its residents and contributed to the exponential growth the county experienced during the period of significance. As the county grew, many of these original uses expanded and moved elsewhere, either on-site, as in the welfare commission and county library, or off-site within the City of San Bernardino. Expanding court facilities, filled space left behind by other county departments, and by 1959 the "T-Wing" Addition was constructed to accommodate the need for additional courtrooms.
Apparently damaged by an early 1920s earthquake, the earlier 1893 courthouse, constructed of red Mentone sandstone, was found unsafe. County supervisors engaged local architect Howard E. Jones to review alternatives including repairing the building and providing additional space for expanding county needs. After reviewing plans prepared by architect Jones for remodeling and additions to the unsafe earlier courthouse, county supervisors considered alternative sites for construction of a new courthouse. 1 Three sites were examined and the supervisors agreed to purchase a block bounded by 3 rd Street on the south, 4 th Street on the north, North Arrowhead Avenue (formerly C Street) on the west and Mountain View Avenue (formerly B Street) on the east.
There was strong community support for the new courthouse, as described in a contemporary magazine article, "A very unusual and commendable circumstance connected with obtaining a site of the new courthouse was the donation to the county of $70,000 by local business men for this purpose. Only $20,000 additional was needed to pay for the ground, which now is worth two or three times its cost." Court Street was extended one block east to open up access and a vista to the new courthouse site. In 1925, county supervisors purchased the North Arrowhead Avenue property and placed a $450,000 bond for construction of the new courthouse on the ballot. Voters approved the bond issue and on November 17, 1925 the courthouse construction contract was awarded to Alhambra contractor R.W. Wescott.
An article in the Los Angeles Sunday Times drew comparison between several significant public building projects underway in Southern California including the San Bernardino County-Court House, Santa Barbara County Courthouse, Los Angeles City Hall, and Pasadena City Hall, "Inspired by civic movements in Los Angeles^?' many of the smaller Southland centers are building courthouses and city halls. In all cases these movements are being sponsored by citizens who recognize the growth and prosperity that is bound to attend the entire southern portion of the State during the coming months."
Architect Howard E. Jones (1885-1966), a lifelong resident of San Bernardino, was responsible for design of the new courthouse. Interestingly, Jones did not attend a formal architecture school, rather received his training in architectural design and structural engineering through correspondence school courses. 5 He designed a number of important local commercial buildings including the extant Harris Co. department store in downtown San Bernardino; other important commercial buildings, including the Platt Building, have been demolished.
When the courthouse was described in Modern Public Buildings of February 1928, the author stated, "Solidity and simplicity are the outstanding characteristics of the resultant building, which conforms to no special type of architecture, but resembles classical Roman and Italian Renaissance. In outside appearance it is somewhat like Los Angeles' new $6,000,000 Hall of Justice, with its massive stone columns arid rectangular windows, the former suggesting lofty ideals and the latter a square deal." The article further described that "principal buildings of this kind in California were visited and studied including halls of justice and records."
Architect Jones drew inspiration for the courthouse from the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition and the City Beautiful Movement which popularized use of monumental, classically-inspired design as standard for civic buildings throughout the U.S. The courthouse takes the long, horizontal form and classically-inspired detailing of buildings which he likely saw in the souvenir photo books of the Exposition. 9 While roots of its architectural style may date to more than a quarter-century before its design, the courthouse is the only extant Neo-Classical building in the City of San Bernardino. The courthouse is a staid example of the style by comparison to the exuberance displayed in the Beaux-Arts-influenced Riverside County Courthouse (1904).
The important character-defining features of the San Bernardino County Court House which make it a significant reflection of the style are its classical columns, the rhythmic pattern of the fenestration, subtle projecting and receding blocks on the principal facade, and particularly the image of solidity and permanence these design features were intended to impart. The rich quality of the unpainted cast stone and stucco is also remarkable. There are few cases in Southern California where a large building of reinforced concrete construction--without a veneer of natural stone--has remained unpainted with original finishes still visible. The integrity of architectural finishes on the interior including hand painting, stained and leaded glass in the common areas, and furniture and furnishings in the three original courtrooms are quite unique for courthouses in Southern California.
As for comparable historic buildings in general, only a handful of potentially historic buildings remain in the City of San Bernardino today. The U.S. Post Office, Santa Fe Depot, St. Bernadette Church, Harris Department Store (also designed by architect Jones) , arid a few representative examples of commercial office buildings, hotels and theaters are extant. These limited examples are remnants of a commercial core which thrived and was rich with quality architecture and design in the period 1927-1947. It is not clear how many buildings were constructed in the commercial core during this period, however it is known that only a handful exist today, and many of those are threatened by neglect and high vacancy. Within downtown San Bernardino, the courthouse continues to be a major source of economic vitality."