Geauga County Courthouse
Encyclopedia
The Geauga County Courthouse is located at 100 Short Court Street in Chardon
, Ohio
. The courthouse
was placed on the National Register
on 1974-10-18 as part of the Chardon Courthouse Square District
.
was established in 1806 and was carved out of Trumbull County
. The county seat was placed at New Market and a courthouse was built. The records about this first courthouse are inconsistent and little is known about it. New Market lost the title of county seat to Chardon
the next year.
Chardon wasted no time in the construction of a courthouse, which was completed in 1808. The one room log structure with chimney was completely outfitted with wooden amenities, such as split log benches, rough wood floors and a curious stick chimney. This courthouse served the county until 1813 when a new, sturdier courthouse was needed. The county arranged a competition for the new courthouse. The third courthouse was designed by Samuel King for $750 and was built of brick. The details are also vague, as the records are conflicting and are enmeshed in the records of the 1826 courthouse.
The 1826 Greek Revival courthouse was built of brick and rose two-stories high on a rectangular foundation. Long windows lined the sides of the building and featured a Doric columned portico
. The hipped roof was pierced by a cupola
topped by a spire. Unfortunately for posterity, this courthouse was burned down in 1865 by a serial arsonist. Fortunately for the county, none if its expansive records were lost in this fire.
The county soon turned to another competition for the design of its fourth courthouse. The design chosen was from Joseph Ireland and the construction contract was awarded to L.J. Randall. The brick and stone structure was built at a price of $88,862. The courthouse standing today is basically the same, although renovations have added some minor interior alterations and upgrades.
with decorative brackets.
The tower consists of an octagonal louvered cupola
and a dome
with four teardrop shaped clock faces and a weathervane topping the central spire. The entrance contains double doors topped by a fanlight
. Above the door is a balcony lined with wrought iron railings. A central window is located in the middle of the tower with two long arched windows, each topped with circular windows like the ones above the second floor windows. The entire building, base to weathervane is 112 feet (34.1 m) tall.
Chardon, Ohio
Chardon is a city in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Geauga County.-History:Chardon is named after Peter Chardon Brooks, who donated land to build the historic Chardon Square....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
was placed on the National Register
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...
on 1974-10-18 as part of the Chardon Courthouse Square District
Chardon Courthouse Square District
The Chardon Courthouse Square District is located in Chardon, Ohio, and contains the Geauga County Courthouse as well as the several buildings serving as the courthouse annexes. The district was added to the National Register on 1974-10-18....
.
History
Geauga CountyGeauga County, Ohio
Geauga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 93,389. It is named for a Native American word meaning "raccoon". The county seat is Chardon...
was established in 1806 and was carved out of Trumbull County
Trumbull County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 225,116 people, 89,020 households, and 61,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 365 people per square mile . There were 95,117 housing units at an average density of 154 per square mile...
. The county seat was placed at New Market and a courthouse was built. The records about this first courthouse are inconsistent and little is known about it. New Market lost the title of county seat to Chardon
Chardon, Ohio
Chardon is a city in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Geauga County.-History:Chardon is named after Peter Chardon Brooks, who donated land to build the historic Chardon Square....
the next year.
Chardon wasted no time in the construction of a courthouse, which was completed in 1808. The one room log structure with chimney was completely outfitted with wooden amenities, such as split log benches, rough wood floors and a curious stick chimney. This courthouse served the county until 1813 when a new, sturdier courthouse was needed. The county arranged a competition for the new courthouse. The third courthouse was designed by Samuel King for $750 and was built of brick. The details are also vague, as the records are conflicting and are enmeshed in the records of the 1826 courthouse.
The 1826 Greek Revival courthouse was built of brick and rose two-stories high on a rectangular foundation. Long windows lined the sides of the building and featured a Doric columned portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
. The hipped roof was pierced by a 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....
topped by a spire. Unfortunately for posterity, this courthouse was burned down in 1865 by a serial arsonist. Fortunately for the county, none if its expansive records were lost in this fire.
The county soon turned to another competition for the design of its fourth courthouse. The design chosen was from Joseph Ireland and the construction contract was awarded to L.J. Randall. The brick and stone structure was built at a price of $88,862. The courthouse standing today is basically the same, although renovations have added some minor interior alterations and upgrades.
Exterior
The courthouse features red brick exterior with light sandstone quoins. The building contains a central projection, also framed by quions. The windows on the first floor are low arched windows on either side of the projection. The second floor windows are interesting as the windows contain long arched windows with circular windows above with smaller circular tracings. The whole window is framed by a sandstone casing and white wooden trim. The flat roof rests on an entablatureEntablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with decorative brackets.
The tower consists of an octagonal louvered 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....
and a dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
with four teardrop shaped clock faces and a weathervane topping the central spire. The entrance contains double doors topped by a fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
. Above the door is a balcony lined with wrought iron railings. A central window is located in the middle of the tower with two long arched windows, each topped with circular windows like the ones above the second floor windows. The entire building, base to weathervane is 112 feet (34.1 m) tall.
Further reading
- Thrane, Susan W., County Courthouses of Ohio, Indiana University Press, Indianapolis, Indiana 2000 ISBN 0-253-33778-8
- Marzulli, Lawrence J., The Development of Ohio's Counties and Their Historic Courthouses, Gray Printing Company, Fostoria, Ohio 1983
- Stebbins, Clair, Ohio's Court Houses, Ohio State Bar Association, Columbus, Ohio 1980