Putnam County Courthouse (Ohio)
Putnam County Courthouse | |
 Front and western side of the courthouse | |
   | |
 Interactive map showing the location for Putnam County Courthouse | |
| Location | Courthouse Sq., Ottawa, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°1′11″N 84°2′47″W / 41.01972°N 84.04639°W |
| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1912 |
| Architect | Frank Packard; Ralph Snyder |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001608[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 3, 1974 |
The Putnam County Courthouse is a historic governmental building in downtown Ottawa, Ohio, United States. A two-story building,[2] located at 245 E. Main Street,[3] it was built in 1912 in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture.[1]
Previous courthouses
[edit]The present courthouse is the fourth such structure to serve Putnam County. When the county was organized in 1834, the village of Kalida was designated the county seat,[2] and a wooden courthouse was built there. It only served the county for four years, being replaced by a larger brick courthouse and jail complex in 1838. This building remained in use for more than a quarter century, but it was ruined by a devastating fire on December 18, 1864. With no courthouse, discussion arose about moving the county seat to Ottawa, which was growing more steadily than Kalida and was served by a railroad line, and which was located closer to the center of the county.[4] An election in 1866 resulted in the seat being moved to Ottawa,[2] and the village paid $15,000 for the erection of a new courthouse.[4]
Construction
[edit]Approximately forty years after the construction of the third courthouse, a movement grew for its replacement by a newer structure. After voters supported the construction of a new courthouse in a 1909 election, the county commissioners selected a Columbus architect,[4] Frank Packard, to design the new building.[2] Packard's design was a large Beaux-Arts structure, built on a stone foundation with stone walls and a tile roof of ceramic;[5] he made extensive use of marble, stained glass, and oak wood. The entire structure cost slightly less than $200,000 to complete.[4]
Current usage
[edit]Today, the courthouse remains actively used by Putnam County's governmental officials. Cases in the Common Pleas Court are heard in Putnam County's main courtroom, located on the building's third floor.[3] Other offices located in the courthouse include those of the county commissioners, the county auditor, the Clerk of Courts, the county engineer, and the county prosecutor.[6] An annex is located at 336 E. Main Street, one block east of the courthouse.[7]
Recognition
[edit]In the early years of the twentieth century, as plans were being laid for the courthouse's construction, the building committee aimed to erect a structure that would be renowned in the year 2000.[4] Their goal has succeeded: in the years since that time, careful maintenance has prevented deterioration, and no major changes have been made. Today, the courthouse is renowned as an architectural masterpiece; architectural historians have ranked it as the best Beaux-Arts courthouse anywhere in Ohio.[2] The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 because of its well preserved historic architecture,[1] which was seen as significant statewide.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 1182.
- ^ a b Putnam County Court Archived 2011-01-28 at the Wayback Machine, Putnam County Court, n.d. Accessed 2010-08-12.
- ^ a b c d e Putnam County Clerk of Courts Archived 2009-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, Putnam County Clerk of Courts, n.d. Accessed 2010-08-12.
- ^ a b Putnam County Courthouse, Ohio Historical Society, 2007. Accessed 2010-08-12.
- ^ County Offices Archived 2010-06-08 at the Wayback Machine, Putnam County, 2001. Accessed 2010-08-12.
- ^ Local Rules of Court[permanent dead link], Putnam County Court of Common Pleas, 2003-01-06, 11. Accessed 2010-08-12.
External links
[edit]
- Government buildings completed in 1912
- Beaux-Arts architecture in Ohio
- County courthouses in Ohio
- Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio
- Buildings and structures in Putnam County, Ohio
- National Register of Historic Places in Putnam County, Ohio
- Frank Packard buildings
- 1912 establishments in Ohio