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 The
Pershing County Courthouse stands at the end of Main Street in Lovelock,
Nevada. It was built under considerable controversy after Pershing County
was carved from Humboldt County in 1919. The Humboldt County courthouse
in Winnemucca was destroyed by a fire in 1917 and Lovelock, being approximately
the same size as Winnemucca pushed to have the new courthouse built there.
Winnemucca residents fought the idea. Eventually the controversy reached
the point to where a bill was introduced to split the county, it passed
and Pershing County was born.
Initially, court was
held at the school in Lovelock but that space was quickly outgrown and
plans were made to build a courthouse. Frederick DeLongchamps, a prominent
architect, was commissioned to design the new building. He presented the
commission with 2 designs, one round and one square. The commission chose
the round one.
More
about the Pershing County Courthouse:
 The
courthouse is one of only 2 round courthouses from this period still
in use.- The courtroom is
round and located in the center of the building. Pretty much everything
in the courtroom is original: the furniture, the light fixtures, the
railings, the wall covering.
- The judge sits
opposite the main entrance. The jury box is in the center of the courtroom.
- The courtroom was
designed to take advantage of natural light.
- The dome is lined
with canvas.
- Downstairs was
originally designed to house the jail but it was never used for that
purpose. Bars on the windows reflect the intended purpose.
- The roundroom directly
downstairs from the courtroom was the first to be restored. It once
housed the law library but is now a meeting room used by the county
commission and other groups.
- The story of the
courthouse and some unique cases tried there are told by displays on
the walls of the round room.
- The round design
of the room creates some unique acoustics, the sound bounces around
and creates echoes so you can actually be sitting right next to somebody
and not hear them whereas somebody across the room hears them very clearly.
A person standing right in the middle of the room, in front of the jury
box gets an echo of everything that is said.
 Andrew
Carey, Consulting Anthropologist:
"Frederick DeLongchamps was one of the, he is the most famous architect
in the state of Nevada, he designed buildings for 60 or so years across
the state. This one is truly one of his more unique creations... and this
is really a unique building. There is no place else like this. I think
it's a reflection of the kind of independent and unique spirit of the
county and the people who live here."
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