Hempstead County Courthouse, Art Deco courthouse in Hope, United States.

The Hempstead County Courthouse is a five-story masonry building at the corner of 5th and Washington Streets, decorated with geometric patterns and concrete panels featuring inverted chevrons. The facade clearly displays Art Deco style with its characteristic lines and shapes.

The Hempstead County Courthouse was built in 1939 with funding from the Public Works Administration, a Depression-era federal jobs program. It was designed by the Little Rock firm of McAninch and Anderson. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. A lightning-induced fire in 1979 forced the complete renovation of two upper-floor courtrooms.

The molded concrete panels around the entrance show industries and professions: construction, mining, medicine, defense, electricity, farming and brickmaking. Inverted chevrons separate the panels, and the same chevron pattern repeats in the cornice. Visitors can pick out each trade in the reliefs above the doors.

The courthouse stands at the northwest corner of 5th and Washington Streets in Hope, a short walk from the city center. The 1939 exterior, including the molded entry panels and chevron cornice, can be viewed from the sidewalk at any time; the two upper-floor courtrooms rebuilt after the 1979 lightning fire are the only altered interior spaces.

The 1939 cornerstone ceremony was conducted by the Grand Lodge of Arkansas Masons, and a copper box of historical documents was sealed inside. The box has never been opened, so its contents remain unknown to visitors and researchers alike.