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]
Mason County Courthouse | |
 Mason County Courthouse in 2008 | |
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 Interactive map | |
| Location | 300 E. Ludington Ave., Ludington, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°57′17″N 86°26′40″W / 43.95472°N 86.44444°W |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1893 |
| Built by | Charles T. Gatke |
| Architect | Sidney J. Osgood |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000602[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 1988 |
| Designated MSHS | August 15, 1975 |
History
editThe 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
editThe 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.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c 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
