Houghton County Courthouse
Encyclopedia
The Houghton County Courthouse is a government building located at 401 E. Houghton Street in Houghton, Michigan
Houghton, Michigan
Houghton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...

. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places
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...

 in 1975.

History

Houghton County, Michigan
Houghton County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,016 people, 13,793 households, and 8,137 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 17,748 housing...

 was first organized in 1845; at the time it covered the entire Keweenaw Peninsula
Keweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northern-most part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was roughly 43,200...

, with Eagle River
Eagle River, Michigan
Eagle River is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Keweenaw County.The community is on M-26 on the north side of the Keweenaw Peninsula, which projects into Lake Superior. It is about 27 miles northeast of Houghton and is situated in the northwest...

 as the county seat. In 1861, the county was split in two, with the northern part of the Keweenaw, including Eagle River, forming Keweenaw County
Keweenaw County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,301 people, 998 households, and 604 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 2,327 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...

 and the southern part remaining Houghton County. The village of Houghton was designated the county seat, ad a frame stucture was erected in 1862 to serve as the courthouse. However, the booming copper industry in the Keweenaw quickly swelled the populace of Houghton County, and a new courthouse was planned to demonstrate the area's prosperity. The county hired Marquette
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...

 architect J. B. Sweatt to design the courthouse, which was built on the site of the older courthouse at a cost of $75,568.00. The cornerstone, with a miner's coat of arms, was laid on July 24, 1886, and the new courthouse was dedicated on July 28, 1887.

The section of the courthouse containing the jail was condemned in the 1960s, and an additional building to replace it was constructed nearby. Extensive restoration of the courthouse was performed in the 1970s and later in 2003-2004, and the building continues to house government offices.

Description

The Houghton County Courthouse is an asymmetrical -story brick-and-sandstone structure with a mansard roof, designed primarily in an interpretation of Second Empire style, but with elements of other styles included. Sweatt made use of local materials in his design of the courthouse, using red sandstone trim and a copper roof. The building also includes a four-story tower and a projecting pavilion. Most of the exterior is cream brick; contrasting red sandstone tops the windows. The interior of the courthouse was designed by Charles Eastlake
Charles Eastlake
Charles Locke Eastlake was a British architect and furniture designer. Trained by the architect Philip Hardwick , he popularised William Morris's notions of decorative arts in the Arts and Crafts style, becoming one of the principal exponents of the revived Early English or Modern Gothic style...

of England, using heavy, elaborately decorated plaster and woodwork.

A modern five-story addition with parking deck is located at the southwest corner of the building.
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