Mason County Courthouse
Mason County Courthouse in 2008
Interactive map
Location300 E. Ludington Ave., Ludington, Michigan
Coordinates43°57′17″N 86°26′40″W / 43.95472°N 86.44444°W / 43.95472; -86.44444 (Mason County Courthouse)
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1893 (1893)
Built byCharles T. Gatke
ArchitectSidney J. Osgood
Architectural styleRomanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.88000602[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 19, 1988
Designated MSHSAugust 15, 1975

The Mason County Courthouse is a courthouse located at 300 East Ludington Avenue in Ludington, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1]

History

The first courthouse in Mason County was located in the two-story home of Burr Caswell, who turned over the home to the county in 1856. In 1861 the courthouse was moved to a store building located in the now-vanished village of Little Sauble in the north of the county. In 1873 the county seat was moved to the more centrally located village of Ludington, and a single-story county office building was built. Although this building was enlarged, it was quickly outgrown, and in 1892 voters approved the construction of a new courthouse.[2]

The courthouse square was acquired in 1893, and the county hired Grand Rapids architect Sidney J. Osgood to design a new courthouse. Construction began later that year and was completed in September 1894.[2]

Description

The Mason County Courthouse is a square, Richardsonian Romanesque building constructed of dark red brick and reddish brown sandstone. The raised basement story is finished with rock-faced sandstone, and two upper floors are finished with brick, with a beltcourse, window sills, lintels, and other trim of the same sandstone. The building is topped with a combination hip and gable roof. In the center is a pyramid-roof clock tower.<ref name="nrhpdoc">

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Robert O. Christensen (December 1987). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Mason County Courthouse". National Park Service. Retrieved June 25, 2023. With accompanying pictures
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