VOLUSIA COUNTY’S HISTORIC COURT HOUSE

Volusia County was created by an act of the Florida Legislature in December …to date four courthouses have served the county... …and the fifth Volusia County Courthouse is currently in use.

The town of Enterprise served as the Volusia County seat from Second Courthouse in Enterprise circa 1880 …at the time Enterprise was a thriving steamship port and tourist destination on the St. Johns River.

Vote Count DeLand: 1,003 Enterprise: 439 Lake Helen 251 DeLeon Springs: 84 Orange City 80 Daytona 3 Port Orange 2 New Smyrna 1 Ormond 1 The county seat was moved to DeLand in 1888 after the town received the most votes in a countywide referendum held that year..

One advantage that the City of DeLand had over other communities was the pledge from John B. Stetson and Henry A. DeLand to donate land and money for construction of a courthouse... First courthouse in DeLand

In 1925 work began on the design of a new courthouse. W. D. Harper & Co. of Daytona Beach was selected as the project architect and Arthur Meyers of Fort Pierce as the project engineer. They were directed to build “a state- of-the-art facility with all modern conveniences…”

Public architecture from this era was typically designed in a grand manner using architectural traditions of classical origin. Many elements of the courthouse reflect this rich architectural heritage. Art glass dome in the rotunda. View from new courthouse site. Insert photo

Interior Corinthian terra cotta columns, two stories in height, supporting vaulted arches in rotunda. Exterior fluted Corinthian columns supporting the elaborate terra cotta entablature and balustrade. The copper-clad dome and belfry house the stain glass dome, the mechanism for the 4 clock faces and the 4 cast bronze bells.

Early 20th Century Hand-colored Postcard of the Historic Courthouse After considerable delays in construction, the building was dedicated on November 18, 1929 with much fanfare including a barbecue, musical performances, circus acts and a grand floral display in the rotunda. Over 3,000 Volusia citizens were in attendance.

A four-phase restoration of the historic courthouse was started in 1994 and will be completed this year Funding is provided through a partnership between the County of Volusia and Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources with assistance from the Florida Historic Preservation Advisory Council.

Historic Courthouse Restoration Using a “top down” approach to restoration, the first phase included extensive repair of the copper dome, turret, clock faces and clock mechanism. Phase I

Historic Courthouse Restoration Phase II Restoration of the north façade involved removal of concrete stucco from original brick and terra cotta surfaces, repair and reinstallation of the original light fixtures and replacement of deteriorated metal windows.

Historic Courthouse Restoration Phase III Exterior restoration began during 2000 and included removal of the stucco coating on the west side and complete restoration of the south facade.

Historic Courthouse Restoration Phase IV Also during the year 2000 design work began and a funding strategy was developed for restoration of the building’s interior.

The Historic Court House contains 60,323 square feet which encompasses four floors... First Floor: 19,181 sq.ft.

Second Floor: 17,600 sq. ft.

Third Floor: 4,295 sq. ft.

Basement: 19,247 sq. ft.

VOLUSIA COUNTY’S HISTORIC COURT HOUSE