Courthouse History

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In 1890, voters approved $150,000 to build the county's second new courthouse at East Park and Sycamore Streets in Waterloo. Its architectural design was Grant Gothic or French Renaissance. In August 1964, Black Hawk County moved into its third new courthouse (the current courthouse) and eventually the second building was demolished.

Between 1906 and 1908, six bronze goddesses were set atop the new courthouse (due to the natural process of aging, the goddesses were later knicknamed "the pea-green goddesses"). Two were standing and four were kneeling. Names of the kneeling goddesses are Themis, Knowledge of Justice; Clio, Knowledge of Education; Ceres, Goddess of Harvest (symbolic of agriculture) and Mercury, Goddess of Commerce. One standing goddess represented peace with a crown of olive leaves and the other represented industry with a hammer, anvil and wheel. Their names have been long forgotten.

In 1957, the two standing goddesses were retired from atop the courthouse. One fell down and the other was removed. One of the goddesses makes its home atop a building at Upper Iowa University and the fate of the other remains a mystery. The four kneeling goddesses now look out over the Cedar River atop the River Plaza Building at 10 West 4th Street in Waterloo.