Old Warren County Courthouse Complex
Encyclopedia
The Old Warren County Courthouse Complex is located at the corner of Amherst and Canada (US 9/NY 9N
) streets in Lake George
, New York, United States. It is a large brick building erected in five stages from the 1840s to the 1890s. Not all of the stages built are extant.
Its imposing clock tower
has made it a landmark in the village. The county
government moved out in the early 1960s. After a period of several years during which the building remained vacant, local preservation
groups were able to get it reopened to serve a number of other public purposes. In 1973 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Today it is home to the local historical society and a community arts group.
itself. All sections are linked. They are built of masonry
load-bearing walls faced in brick, on a limestone
foundation
with polychromatic slate roof pierced by six chimneys. The three remaining sections are, from west to east, the judges' chambers, original courthouse, and jail wing.
On the judges' chambers, the western (front) facade
is five bays
wide and two stories tall, with a two-stage clock tower
rising from the center. Below it a recessed front door is framed by an arched entranceway. Between the two stories is a double belt course
on which is inscribed "WARREN COUNTY" north of the entry and tower and "COURT HOUSE" south of it. A decorative brick cornice
on the second story roofline is repeated on the tower's first stage. The clock tower is topped with a hipped roof
and weathervane.
To its east is the original courthouse building. It is one and a half stories tall and three bays wide on either side. Pilaster
s divide the narrow windows, and the roof is pierced by a gable
d dormer window in the center of both sides. The jail wing to its east, closest to the lakeshore, is a two-story gabled block four bays long by three wide. It has a unique structural system
. The first floor is an open room without partitions or columns; the second floor's weight is supported by three steel rods suspended from truss
es below the roof.
Inside, the buildings have undergone many changes since they were first built, and have lost most of their architectural distinctiveness. The courthouse retains its original windows and high ceilings, and there are some original cells left in the jail wing.
when Warren County was created in 1813. At the time the settlement had been growing rapidly because of its location on what was expected to be a main trade route to Canada
. It was then known as Caldwell, after James Caldwell of Albany
, a major landowner and businessman in the region, who had seen the potential for this trade route.
For the first four years of the county's existence, the court met in a local coffeehouse
. In 1815, Caldwell donated land at the present site for a courthouse, and one was built, as well as a clerk's office and jail. Little is known about the architecture of those buildings. County records do indicate that the courthouse had a wooden cupola
which frequently needed repairs. As a result, the county had difficulty getting it insured
.
In 1843 the courthouse and the county clerk's office burned down. A Glens Falls
architect, Winfield Sherwood, designed a replacement building that was completed two years later. This is the present courtroom building in the middle of the complex. During the 1860 election
, Stephen A. Douglas
is said to have delivered a campaign speech here in opposition to Abraham Lincoln
.
Later in the century the complex grew. In 1878 the judges' quarters were added, giving the building its distinctive clock tower. Seven years later, in 1885, the small clerk's building was replaced by a larger one that was added to the front of the judge's quarters, to some criticism of its effect on the building as a whole.
The county's Board of Supervisors
met either here or in the armory in Glens Falls until 1905, when a meeting room was built over the county clerk's offices. Since 1860 there had been some efforts to move the county seat to Glens Falls, which had grown much larger than Lake George because of industrialization. The county located some offices there, and some to the north in Warrensburg
, but Lake George remained the county seat.
In 1959 county voters approved a bond
issue for a new county government complex in Queensbury
, along Route 9 several miles south of the village. It was built and opened in 1963, at which time the old courthouse was finally abandoned. It was vacant for several years, and considered for demolition until the newly formed Lake George Historical Association was able to persuade the Town of Lake George, which owned it by then, to reopen it for use as the association's offices and museum. Shortly afterwards, in 1969, the 1885 front addition was torn down to restore the original view of the front of the building. In 1977, the Lake George Arts Center joined the historical society, opening a gallery
in the former courtroom in addition to using the building as its headquarters as well.
New York State Route 9N
New York State Route 9N is a north–south state highway in northeastern New York, United States. It extends from an intersection with U.S. Route 9 , NY 29, and NY 50 in the city of Saratoga Springs to a junction with US 9 and NY 22 in the Clinton County village of...
) streets in Lake George
Lake George (village), New York
The Village of Lake George is a village within the town of Lake George in Warren County, New York, United States. The population was 985 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, New York, United States. It is a large brick building erected in five stages from the 1840s to the 1890s. Not all of the stages built are extant.
Its imposing clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
has made it a landmark in the village. The county
Warren County, New York
Warren County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 65,707. It is named in honor of General Joseph Warren, an American Revolutionary War hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill...
government moved out in the early 1960s. After a period of several years during which the building remained vacant, local preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
groups were able to get it reopened to serve a number of other public purposes. In 1973 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...
. Today it is home to the local historical society and a community arts group.
Property
The courthouse complex is located on a narrow parcel of less than 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) that extends from the street to the shore of Lake GeorgeLake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
itself. All sections are linked. They are built of masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
load-bearing walls faced in brick, on a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
with polychromatic slate roof pierced by six chimneys. The three remaining sections are, from west to east, the judges' chambers, original courthouse, and jail wing.
On the judges' chambers, the western (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
is five bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
wide and two stories tall, with a two-stage clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
rising from the center. Below it a recessed front door is framed by an arched entranceway. Between the two stories is a double belt course
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
on which is inscribed "WARREN COUNTY" north of the entry and tower and "COURT HOUSE" south of it. A decorative brick cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
on the second story roofline is repeated on the tower's first stage. The clock tower is topped with a hipped roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
and weathervane.
To its east is the original courthouse building. It is one and a half stories tall and three bays wide on either side. Pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s divide the narrow windows, and the roof is pierced by a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d dormer window in the center of both sides. The jail wing to its east, closest to the lakeshore, is a two-story gabled block four bays long by three wide. It has a unique structural system
Structural system
The term structural system or structural frame in structural engineering refers to load-resisting sub-system of a structure. The structural system transfers loads through interconnected structural components or members.-High-rise buildings:...
. The first floor is an open room without partitions or columns; the second floor's weight is supported by three steel rods suspended from truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es below the roof.
Inside, the buildings have undergone many changes since they were first built, and have lost most of their architectural distinctiveness. The courthouse retains its original windows and high ceilings, and there are some original cells left in the jail wing.
History
Lake George was designated the county seatCounty seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
when Warren County was created in 1813. At the time the settlement had been growing rapidly because of its location on what was expected to be a main trade route to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was then known as Caldwell, after James Caldwell of Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, a major landowner and businessman in the region, who had seen the potential for this trade route.
For the first four years of the county's existence, the court met in a local coffeehouse
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
. In 1815, Caldwell donated land at the present site for a courthouse, and one was built, as well as a clerk's office and jail. Little is known about the architecture of those buildings. County records do indicate that the courthouse had a wooden cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
which frequently needed repairs. As a result, the county had difficulty getting it insured
Property insurance
Property insurance provides protection against most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance or boiler insurance. Property is insured in two main...
.
In 1843 the courthouse and the county clerk's office burned down. A Glens Falls
Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...
architect, Winfield Sherwood, designed a replacement building that was completed two years later. This is the present courtroom building in the middle of the complex. During the 1860 election
United States presidential election, 1860
The United States presidential election of 1860 was a quadrennial election, held on November 6, 1860, for the office of President of the United States and the immediate impetus for the outbreak of the American Civil War. The nation had been divided throughout the 1850s on questions surrounding the...
, Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
is said to have delivered a campaign speech here in opposition to Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
Later in the century the complex grew. In 1878 the judges' quarters were added, giving the building its distinctive clock tower. Seven years later, in 1885, the small clerk's building was replaced by a larger one that was added to the front of the judge's quarters, to some criticism of its effect on the building as a whole.
The county's Board of Supervisors
Town supervisor
Town Supervisor is an elective legislative position in New York towns. Supervisors sit on the town board, where they preside over town board meetings and vote on all matters with no more legal weight than that of any other board member .Towns may adopt local laws that allow them to provide for an...
met either here or in the armory in Glens Falls until 1905, when a meeting room was built over the county clerk's offices. Since 1860 there had been some efforts to move the county seat to Glens Falls, which had grown much larger than Lake George because of industrialization. The county located some offices there, and some to the north in Warrensburg
Warrensburg, New York
Warrensburg, New York is a town in Warren County. An hamlet by the same name is recognized by U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place . According to the 2000 United States Census, the CDP comprises less than one-fifth of the town's total area, yet has about 75% of the town's population...
, but Lake George remained the county seat.
In 1959 county voters approved a bond
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
issue for a new county government complex in Queensbury
Queensbury, New York
Queensbury is a town in and the county seat of Warren County, New York, United States. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county. The population was 25,441 at the 2000 census. The town is named in honor of Queen Charlotte, the consort of George III of Great Britain and Ireland. It...
, along Route 9 several miles south of the village. It was built and opened in 1963, at which time the old courthouse was finally abandoned. It was vacant for several years, and considered for demolition until the newly formed Lake George Historical Association was able to persuade the Town of Lake George, which owned it by then, to reopen it for use as the association's offices and museum. Shortly afterwards, in 1969, the 1885 front addition was torn down to restore the original view of the front of the building. In 1977, the Lake George Arts Center joined the historical society, opening a gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in the former courtroom in addition to using the building as its headquarters as well.
External links
- Lake George Arts Project, headquartered in building
- Lake George Historical Association, also headquartered in building