Wilkin County Courthouse

The Wilkin County Courthouse is the primary government building of Wilkin County, Minnesota, United States, located in the city of Breckenridge. Built from 1928 to 1929, the courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for having local significance in the themes of architecture and politics/government.[2] It was nominated for being Wilkin County's seat of government and for its well-preserved architecture.[3]

Wilkin County Courthouse
The Wilkin County Courthouse from the west
Location316 5th Street S., Breckenridge, Minnesota
Coordinates46°15′37.5″N 96°35′14″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1928–9
ArchitectBuechner & Orth
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts
MPSWilkin County MRA
NRHP reference No.80002182[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 17, 1980

Description

The Wilkin County Courthouse is a two-story building with a raised basement, constructed of cream-colored brick and Indiana limestone. Its architectural elements suggest Beaux-Arts style, but flattened and squared off to conform to the Moderne aesthetics of the 1920s.[4] Tall brick pilasters extend to a cornice, which is topped by a high parapet with the inscription "To None Will We Delay, To None Will We Deny, Right or Justice." The flat roofline disguises that the building has a stained-glass dome over its central hall. Over the main doorway is a transom window and a cornice topped by a 4-foot (1.2 m) stone eagle. Other details include carved rosettes and garlands. Interior features include terrazzo floors, steel and bronze doors, ornamental plaster, pink Tennessee marble wainscoting, and brass trim. Murals represent life in 19th-century Wilkin County.[3][4]

History

The current building was constructed as a replacement for an 1883 courthouse that burned down in 1924. It was designed by Saint Paul architects Buechner & Orth, and the firm of Redlinger & Hanson was paid $203,492 to build it.[4] The inscription across the top of the building is a quote from Magna Carta.[5]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Wilkin County Courthouse". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  3. Harvey, Tom (September 1979). "Minnesota Historic Properties Inventory Form: Wilkin County Courthouse". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-07-26. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Wilkin County Courthouse History". Minnesota Judicial Branch. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  5. Laken, Neoma A. "Wilkin County Minnesota History". Wilkin County. Archived from the original on 2007-09-07. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
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