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Dubuque County Jail
Photo: Jack Boucher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · tap to enlarge
★ National Historic Landmark

Dubuque County Jail

One of 22 National Historic Landmarks in Iowa2 of them in Dubuque, the highest tier of the National Register
Egyptian RevivalListed 1972Dubuque
DirectionsAdd an old photo

Many listed buildings are private homes. Please enjoy them from the street.

About

About Dubuque County Jail

Dubuque County Jail, at 36 E. 8th St., was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jun 27, 1972. It was named a National Historic Landmark on May 28, 1987, one of 22 in Iowa. It was among the first 2 of Dubuque’s 68 listings. The Register lists it for its architecture and social history, at the national level. Ten more Register listings are within a quarter mile.

What it isPrison in Iowa, United States of America. From Wikidata (CC0). Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

PDFRead the original nominationThe form that put it on the Register, with its history, photos and a map · 15 MB · National Archives↗
Through the years

1972 to today

  1. 1972Added to the National Register of Historic Places
  2. 1987Named a National Historic Landmark
  3. 2026On the Register for 54 years
Visit

Make it a walk: 5 landmarks in about 5 minutes

36 E. 8th St., Dubuque · about 0.2 miles on foot, as the crow flies

DirectionsWalk the tour in Google Maps
  1. 1Dubuque County JailStart here
  2. 2Dubuque County CourthouseRichardsonian · Built 1891 · next door
  3. 3Grand Opera HouseLate Victorian · 0.1 mi on
  4. 4Security BuildingBeaux Arts · next door
  5. 5Town Clock BuildingLate Victorian · next door
Around it

37 more Register listings within half a mile

★ National Historic Landmark · D district · B building · S site. Each opens its own page.

BDubuque YMCA BuildingLate Victorian0.1 miBOrpheum Theatre and SiteFlemish Renaissance0.2 miSWashington ParkSite0.2 miBRoshek Brothers Department StoreBeaux Arts0.2 miDUpper Iowa Street Historic DistrictDistrict0.2 miBInterstate Power Company BuildingLate Victorian · Built 18940.2 miDOld Main Historic DistrictCommercial0.3 miBRedstoneRichardsonian Romanesque0.3 miBGerman BankCommercial0.3 miBJ. H. Thedinga HouseBuilding0.3 miBCarnegie-Stout Public LibraryClassical Beaux Arts · Built 19010.3 miDUpper Main Street Historic DistrictLate Victorian0.3 miBSt. Luke's Methodist Episcopal ChurchLate Victorian0.3 miDUpper Main Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)Beaux Arts0.3 miDDubuque Millworking Historic DistrictLate Victorian0.3 miBDubuque City HallBuilding0.3 miBJohn Bell BlockLate Victorian · Built 18870.3 miBZiepprecht BlockLate Victorian · Built 18880.3 mi
Show the other 19
★WILLIAM M. BLACK (dredge)Structure0.4 miDCathedral Historic District (Boundary Increase)District0.4 miBDubuque Freight HouseBuilt 19010.4 miDOld Main Street Historic District (Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation)District0.4 miStFenelon Place ElevatorStructure0.4 miDCathedral Historic DistrictFederal Vernacular0.4 miBCharles T. Hancock HouseQueen Anne0.4 miBAndrew-Ryan HouseSecond Empire0.4 miDJackson Park Historic DistrictQueen Anne0.4 miDWashington Residential Historic DistrictDistrict0.4 miBBishop's BlockVictorian0.5 miDFenelon Place Residential Historic DistrictDistrict0.5 miBDubuque Star BreweryLate Victorian0.5 miStRogers, George W. Company Shot TowerExotic Revival0.5 miDWest Eleventh Street Historic DistrictEarly Republic0.5 miDSeminary Hill Residential Historic DistrictDistrict0.5 miDSt. Mary's Catholic Church Historic DistrictDistrict0.5 miDUpper Central Avenue Commercial Historic DistrictLate Victorian0.5 miBHollenfelz HouseSecond Empire0.5 mi
More like it

Other National Historic Landmarks nearby

The nearest Landmarks with a photo, within 25 miles, and the year each was named.

WILLIAM M. BLACK (dredge)0.4 mi away · 1992
Ulysses S. Grant House13.7 mi away · 1960

Memories of Dubuque County Jail

The record says what it is. Neighbors know what it means.

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Have an old photo of it?Add it · +10

Questions about Dubuque County Jail

Is Dubuque County Jail on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. It was added on Jun 27, 1972 (Register number 72000473).

Is Dubuque County Jail a National Historic Landmark?

Yes, since May 28, 1987. Iowa has 22 National Historic Landmarks, 2 of them in Dubuque.

Can you visit Dubuque County Jail?

Our record doesn’t say whether it is open to visitors. Many listed buildings are private, so it may only be seen from the street.

Where can I read the history of Dubuque County Jail?

In its National Register nomination, the form that put it on the Register: a 15 MB PDF at the National Archives, linked on this page.

Sources: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · National Archives catalog record 75338717 · Wikidata. Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.