{"nrhp_refnum":"91001385","name":"Contra Costa County Hall of Records (Additional Documentation)","other_names":["Contra Costa County Court House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"725 Court St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Martinez","county":"Contra Costa County","state":"CA","lat":38.01862436500005,"lon":-122.13297782399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1991-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Neo-Classical Revival county government building with a raised basement, built in 1932 at 725 Court Street in Martinez, California, next to the 1901 Court House and Jail. It covers an entire city block.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the best example of Neo-Classical Revival architecture in Contra Costa County and one of only three such buildings there. It also marks the county's effort to build a strong government center during the Depression, financed debt-free, using mostly local labor and materials. It was designed by E. Geoffrey Bangs to complement the earlier courthouse.","narrative":"Completed in 1932 at 725 Court Street in Martinez, the Contra Costa County Hall of Records is a near-square Neo-Classical Revival building of reinforced concrete faced with limestone and terra cotta. A portico with six Doric columns marks the west entrance, and the interior includes marble floors, bronze doors and a barrel-vaulted second-floor lobby with Art Deco touches. Architect E. Geoffrey Bangs, a former partner of John Galen Howard, designed it to harmonize with the 1901 Court House and Jail and to allow later additions. The county built it to hold growing records and add courtrooms after a population surge. It was financed through a three-year tax levy without debt, and about 84 percent of the labor came from within the county. A partial third floor was added in 1966, yet the original design still dominates. It remains in use for courts and county offices, and is valued for its architecture and its role in local government.","period_of_significance":"1932 - 1941","architect_builder":"Bangs, Edward Geoffrey","architectural_style":"Late 19th & 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as county government offices and courtrooms. A partial third story was added at the rear in 1966, and the original design is described as still predominating.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.955463-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/91001385.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001385/6d47d14186-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/91001385/6d47d14186-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Sanfranman59","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Contra_Costa_County_Hall_of_Records_(Martinez,_CA).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanfranman59</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Contra_Costa_County_Hall_of_Records_(Martinez,_CA).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858516","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133260228"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/contra-costa-county/contra-costa-county-hall-of-records-additional-documentation-91001385/"}