description Monterey County Courthouse Overview
The Monterey County Courthouse is a historic county courthouse in Salinas, California, completed in 1937. Its Art Moderne design gives the civic building a streamlined early-modern appearance, while interior murals associated with the Works Progress Administration connect it to New Deal-era public art. The courthouse is of interest to visitors studying California civic architecture, Depression-era cultural programs, and the institutional history of Monterey County.
help Monterey County Courthouse FAQ
Where is the Monterey County Courthouse and when was it completed?
The courthouse stands at 240 Church Street in Salinas, California. The current building was completed in 1937 in the Art Moderne or WPA Moderne style, with Robert Stanton as architect.
Are the artworks on the Monterey County Courthouse really murals?
The building is better known for Jo Mora's Federal Art Project reliefs than for conventional painted murals. The exterior includes 23 cast-concrete busts and five concrete panels depicting Monterey County history.
What did the WPA contribute to the Monterey County Courthouse?
Works Progress Administration funding helped build the 1937 courthouse during the New Deal period. The Federal Art Project also funded Mora's 1937 exterior relief installations.
Is the Monterey County Courthouse the original courthouse in Salinas?
No, the earlier courthouse was built in 1878 in a Victorian style and was demolished in 1937. The Art Moderne building on the site is the second courthouse constructed there.
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