When I first saw the Rock Island County Courthouse in 1966, I was young, but she was already growing old. She was 69. We have both grown older together. Now that I have passed 69, I think I can fairly say that the years have been kinder to me than to her. At least, I haven't undergone the "operations" ("remodelings").
When I first saw her in September of 1966, she was open, airy and friendly. In those days, there were four courtrooms in the building.Then, you could freely walk from one end of the circuit clerk's office to the other, examine the files, and kibbitz with the clerks. I liked working there. Now there are so many employees, there is no room for any of that. Everything is chopped and blocked off.
The present courthouse was built in an era before electricity was generally used. Indeed, when I first met her in 1966, you could still find a few old gas fixtures on her rotunda walls. And of course, when she was built in 1897 computers and their cables were unknown. In the 30 plus years I roamed the building, my most vivid memory was the thermostats in the various offices -- not functional, but at least decorative!
The courthouse was dedicated on March 31, 1897. To gather facts for this piece, I visited the Rock Island County Historical Society and the county clerk's office to learn what I could about the plans for and the usage of the building in 1897 to contrast it with the usage today.
The original building plans for the 1897 courthouse called for:
-- 1. Two rooms for a sheriff's office;
-- 2. One room for a surveyor's office;
-- 3. County clerk's office consisting of a private office, a workroom (both 20 x 26 feet) and a vault;
-- 4. A county judge's office (16 x 20 feet ) and county courtroom (24 x 40 feet);
-- 5. Treasurer's office (24 x 32 feet) and a vault;
-- 6. Circuit clerk's office consisting of an office (26 x 30 feet), a workroom (20 x 26 feet), and a vault;
-- 7. Circuit courtroom (42 x 64 feet and 24 feet high);
-- 8. State's attorney's room; and
-- 9. Circuit judge's room.
Years later, a probate judge's courtroom and chamber (1S) were added by remodeling. Shortly before I arrived in 1966, the circuit courtroom (3rd Floor South) was chopped up to make a new small circuit courtroom, a hearing room, three judges' chambers, plus additional office space on the 4th floor.
Thereafter, another courtroom was created on 3rd Floor North. The county courtroom (2N) was turned into probation offices, and a new smaller county courtroom was built. Then, a small claims courtroom, and a 2nd hearing room were built at 1 North. Finally, the probate courtroom and chambers (1S) were remodeled into two traffic courtrooms.
The courthouse, which housed two courtrooms in 1897, and four in 1966, now houses eight shabby, unimpressive courtrooms.
In 1897, Rock Island County had the following elected officers (as best as I can determine): state's attorney, sheriff, circuit clerk, county clerk, superintendent of schools, treasurer, coroner, county surveyor and county judge. In addition, the courthouse was to be used by the circuit judge.
The December 1894 semi-annual fees report, pertaining to the three largest Rock Island County offices, shows that in three offices there were, perhaps, a total of eight employees. The courthouse, though some employee expansion was contemplated, was built to accommodate nine employees, and perhaps six or seven helpers. That's perhaps 16-20 people in all.
In 2013, the offices which haven't been moved to the Rock Island County Office Building, are staffed by the following number of officers and employees:
-- Recorder of deeds: 11
-- State's attorney: 27
-- Circuit clerk: 44
-- Office of the chief judge: 4
-- Sheriff's office -- security: 1
A building that accommodated about 20 employees in 1897, now accommodates at least 87.
The once beautiful domed-building long ago lost its dome. The gracious old county and circuit courtrooms have disappeared only to be replaced by drab, uninspiring hearing rooms which demean the dignity of the proceedings.
The once spacious offices are now chopped, cramped and crowded. And the rotunda is a major fire or murder waiting to happen. The two traffic courts -- never contemplated in 1897 -- now handle 30,000 cases per year.
The building has served better than was ever imagined.
But it is now physically and functionally obsolete. And given the historically low interest rates, the time has come to give Rock Island County a computer-age facility.
Posted Online: March 21, 2013, 3:26 pm - Quad-Cities Online
by John Donald O'Shea
Copyright 2013
John Donald O'Shea
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