Monroe County Courthouse (Indiana)
Encyclopedia
Monroe County Courthouse in Bloomington, Indiana
is a Beaux Arts building built in 1908. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1976.
The courthouse was built in August 1818 by Samuel Elliot. The cost of the structure was not to exceed $400. It was a single-story two-room cabin in the manner of a double log cabin. One room was 20 feet (6.1 m) square, and the other was 20 feet (6.1 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m); the two were separated by a 10 feet (3 m) entryway. The building was to be 10 feet (3 m) high to the eaves, and each room was to contain one window facing the east in order to take advantage of the sun. Villagers erected a chimney for each room after it was decided to use the structure as a school.
The log cabin courthouse was located on what now would be the south side of the square, now 116 South Walnut Street. Bloomington historian Dennis E. Matthews commissioned Jim Woods, owner of Woods and Nordberg Signs, to sketch the first courthouse in 1988. The charcoal sketch was drawn from a description by Bloomington historian Robert Leffler. Later Matthews made a model of the log cabin courthouse, which can be seen at the Monroe County History Center.
The building was unable to handle all the county's business, and in May 1819 a contract was let for the construction of a brick courthouse with a stone foundation. This replacement was finished in May 1826. It was expanded and remodeled in the 1850s and again in the 1870s.
The second courthouse was replaced with a new stone building that was designed by architects Wing and Mahurin of Fort Wayne, Indiana
. It was constructed from 1907 to 1908 by contractors Drake and Caldwell, at a cost of $188,000. The weather vane from the old building, made of copper and shaped like a fish, was saved and used on the dome of the new courthouse. In 1984, the building received an extensive renovation costing about $2.3 million.
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
is a Beaux Arts building built in 1908. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1976.
History
The first Monroe County Courthouse was ordered built in 1818 by the county commissioners, as one of the earliest items of business for the new county. "On Tuesday, April 14, [1818] (the fifth day [of existence of the county]), very specific directions were written for the construction of a temporary log courthouse - a double cabin to be completed by the first of August. This log courthouse was probably located somewhere in the immediate area of where the Waldron Arts building is today."The courthouse was built in August 1818 by Samuel Elliot. The cost of the structure was not to exceed $400. It was a single-story two-room cabin in the manner of a double log cabin. One room was 20 feet (6.1 m) square, and the other was 20 feet (6.1 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m); the two were separated by a 10 feet (3 m) entryway. The building was to be 10 feet (3 m) high to the eaves, and each room was to contain one window facing the east in order to take advantage of the sun. Villagers erected a chimney for each room after it was decided to use the structure as a school.
The log cabin courthouse was located on what now would be the south side of the square, now 116 South Walnut Street. Bloomington historian Dennis E. Matthews commissioned Jim Woods, owner of Woods and Nordberg Signs, to sketch the first courthouse in 1988. The charcoal sketch was drawn from a description by Bloomington historian Robert Leffler. Later Matthews made a model of the log cabin courthouse, which can be seen at the Monroe County History Center.
The building was unable to handle all the county's business, and in May 1819 a contract was let for the construction of a brick courthouse with a stone foundation. This replacement was finished in May 1826. It was expanded and remodeled in the 1850s and again in the 1870s.
The second courthouse was replaced with a new stone building that was designed by architects Wing and Mahurin of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. It was constructed from 1907 to 1908 by contractors Drake and Caldwell, at a cost of $188,000. The weather vane from the old building, made of copper and shaped like a fish, was saved and used on the dome of the new courthouse. In 1984, the building received an extensive renovation costing about $2.3 million.
External links
- Photographs of the Monroe County Courthouse from the Ball State University Digital Media Repository
- Monroe County History Center