Oscoda County Courthouse

The Oscoda County Courthouse is the county courthouse for Oscoda County, Michigan, located in Mio at 311 Morenci Ave (M-33).[1] The courthouse is a Michigan State Historic Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2012, the courthouse operates courtrooms for the 23rd Circuit Court, 81st District Court, and Oscoda County Probate Court.[3]

Oscoda County Courthouse
Location311 Morenci Ave., between 10th and 11th[1]
Coordinates44.6493°N 84.1292°W / 44.6493; -84.1292
Arealess than one acre
Built1888-1889
NRHP reference No.72000651[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 25, 1972
Designated MSHSAugust 13, 1971

The courthouse was destroyed by a fire on the evening of May 4, 2016.[4]

History

The land the courthouse is built on was purchased by the county in 1885 from John Randall, one of the city's founders, for $100.[5][6] The courthouse was built by George E. Hunter from July 1888 to May 1889 at a cost of about $3800.[1][6] Two wings housing vaults for the county clerk and treasurer were constructed in 1908.[5] The building gained a water supply in 1891 and was electrified in 1917.[6]

The courthouse was designated a Michigan State Historic Site on August 13, 1971, and added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1972.[1] A Michigan State Historic Site informational marker was erected in 2001.[5] It burned on May 4, 2016.

Architecture

The courthouse is a two-story, rectangular front-gable building.[1] Currently clad in aluminum, the building originally had white clapboard siding.[1][6] The building is fronted by a projected bay topped with a hip-roofed steeple. The entrance is fronted by a pedimented portico beneath a fanlight on the second story.[1] One-story wings extend from both sides of the courthouse.[6]

The courthouse was designed by architects Pratt and Koeppe[5] in the Classical Revival style.[1] Unlike the stone and brick courthouses commonly built at the time, the Oscoda County Courthouse is a modest wood frame building.[5]

See also

References
  1. Staff. "Oscoda County Courthouse". State Historic Preservation Office. Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. "Oscoda County". Michigan Courts. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  4. Varcak, Matt (May 4, 2016). "Oscoda County Courthouse destroyed by fire Wednesday night". The Oscoda County Herald.
  5. "Oscoda County / Courthouse". MichMarkers.com. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  6. "History of the Oscoda County Courthouse". MIGenWeb Oscoda County. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
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