{"nrhp_refnum":"79001695","name":"Columbus County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Bounded by Madison and Jefferson Sts. circle","address_restricted":false,"city":"Whiteville","county":"Columbus County","state":"NC","lat":34.33793810800006,"lon":-78.70446964899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-05-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Neo-Classical Revival brick county courthouse in Whiteville, Columbus County, North Carolina, built 1914-1915 to designs by architect J. F. Leitner.","why_significant":"The form presents the courthouse as the county's fourth seat of justice, designed by Joseph F. Leitner, a Wilmington architect who became chief architect for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It is a notable example of Neo-Classical Revival civic architecture, shaped by commissioners' demands for fireproofing and cost cuts. It also sits as the focal point of Whiteville's highways within a traffic circle.","narrative":"Whiteville's Columbus County Courthouse is a two-story Neo-Classical Revival building of brick with concrete details, completed in 1914-1915. It stands on a small lot within a traffic circle where major highways meet. Columbus County, formed in 1808, had earlier courthouses in Whiteville: a wooden one built in 1809 and a brick one that replaced it in 1852. In 1913 the commissioners hired architect Joseph F. Leitner and asked for fireproof construction. Funding shortages led them to drop a proposed dome, substitute terra cotta trim for iron, and cap the cost at $50,000, half the original $100,000 estimate. Entrance pavilions project from all four sides, and a pedimented Doric portico marks the main entrance. Brick pilasters define the corners. Inside, cross halls are flanked by offices, and wide stairs lead to the second-floor courtroom. The upper floor has been remodeled, though an original wooden and wrought iron bench remains on the landing.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"J. F. (Joseph F.) Leitner, architect","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"The first floor retains plain plastered walls, while the second floor has been completely remodeled; the form does not state current use.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:56.134326-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/29/7175/47717529/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/79001695.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001695/77f92ffff9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001695/77f92ffff9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"gerrydincher","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus_County,_NC_Courthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">gerrydincher</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbus_County,_NC_Courthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47717529","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5150033"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/columbus-county/columbus-county-courthouse-79001695/"}