Ontonagon County Courthouse

The Ontonagon County Courthouse is a government building located at 601 Trap Street in Ontonagon, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]

Ontonagon County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	601 Trap St., Ontonagon, Michigan
Coordinates	46.874671°N 89.317205°W
Area	1.4 acres (0.57 ha)
Built	1886
Architect	Charlton, Gilbert & Demar
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
NRHP reference No.	80001888[1]
Added to NRHP	November 14, 1980

History

Ontonagon County was created in 1843 from the southwestern portion of Houghton County.[2] However, the site of the current county seat was not decided until 1858, and a decision to build a proper courthouse was not made until 1884.[2] The Ontonagon County Courthouse, designed by the architectural firm of Charlton, Gilbert & Demar, was completed in 1886.[3] Ten years later in 1896, a disastrous fire destroyed most of the city, including this courthouse. However, the foundation and brick walls were salvaged, and the interior was redesigned and rebuilt. The near-destruction of Ontonagon came at a tumultuous time in Ontonagon County's history, soon after a portion of the county split off to form Gogebic County and while another section of Ontonagon was considering doing the same. Reconstruction of the town, its port, and the courthouse pulled the citizens of the county together.[3]

An addition to the courthouse was built in 1937. As of 1980, the county built a new courthouse and the old one is no longer in use.[3] The old court house is in private hands, and as of 2016 was owned by Jason Pragacz.[4]

Description

The Ontonagon County Courthouse is a two-story Romanesque Revival structure, built of brick on a sandstone foundation.[3] Three sides have similar facades a central entrance in a gabled pavilion flanked by tall double-hung windows. The stone window lintels form part of a beltcourse that circles the building. A bay window is above the entrance, and the hipped roof has projecting dormers and a glass-roofed dome at the peak. The rear sports a rectangular addition.[3]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. John Fedynsky (2010), Michigan's County Courthouses, University of Michigan Press, pp. 147–148, ISBN 0-472-11728-9
3. "Ontonagon County Courthouse". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
4. "New ideas sought for old courthouse". The Daily Mining Gazette. April 22, 2016.