{"nrhp_refnum":"97001632","name":"San Bernardino County Court House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"351 N. Arrowhead Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Bernardino","county":"San Bernardino County","state":"CA","lat":34.105538496000065,"lon":-117.29143625399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-01-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story Classical Revival county courthouse on about seven acres of landscaped grounds at 351 North Arrowhead Avenue in downtown San Bernardino, California, designed by local architect Howard E. Jones and dedicated April 30, 1927.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as the only extant Neo-Classical building in San Bernardino and a well-preserved example of City Beautiful-era civic design. It notes the unpainted cast stone and stucco finishes, the intact interior details and three original courtrooms, and its role housing county government during rapid county growth. The 1930s-1940s buildings and landscaping on the site also contribute.","narrative":"San Bernardino County's courthouse is a four-story, reinforced concrete building set in park-like grounds in the city's downtown. Dedicated in April 1927 and designed by local architect Howard E. Jones, it combines county administration, courtrooms and a fourth-floor jail. Its long, horizontal facade has projecting blocks with two-story Corinthian-style columns, rusticated cast stone at the ground floor and smooth stucco above. The exterior finishes have remained unpainted, which the nomination describes as uncommon for a large concrete building in Southern California. Inside, marble wainscoting, coffered plaster ceilings with hand-painted designs, a stained glass stair panel and three original third-floor courtrooms survive. The property also includes a 1937 welfare building, a 1940 library and a 1940 heating plant, along with fountains, plaques and remnants of the earlier 1893 courthouse. It is considered significant as the city's only surviving Neo-Classical building and for its link to the county's growth.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Howard E. Jones, architect; Dewitt Mitcham, associate; R. Westcott Company (R.W. Wescott of Alhambra), builder","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals/Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still used as a courthouse with courtrooms, jail and sheriff offices; the former welfare and library buildings are in use by county offices.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.079672-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/97001632.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001632/4a543f37bf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001632/4a543f37bf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Einbierbitte","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Bernardino_County_Courthouse_2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Einbierbitte</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:San_Bernardino_County_Courthouse_2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860795","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_County_Court_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14683858"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-court-house-97001632/"}