The Allen County Courthouse is an

historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

courthouse A courthouse or court house 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-spe ...

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fun ...

located at the corner of North Main Street & East North Street in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, United States.*Thrane, Susan W., ''County Courthouses of Ohio'', Indiana University Press, Indianapolis, Indiana 2000 In 1974, it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

Allen County was formed in 1820 and Lima was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a simple log structure consisting of two floors, a small hipped roof and a single chimney. The courthouse served the county until 1840 when the county realized the space was not adequate for the growing population. A contest was announced and seventeen bids were submitted. The contract was awarded to Orlando Boughton and was designed in the

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

style. The amount was $13,325 and construction was underway. The courthouse was two stories tall and was built out of brick and stone. Pilasters lined the facade between the long windows with dark shutters. The entrance was framed with four fluted Doric columns supporting a portico. A square drum rose from the roof and supported large rectangular windows capped with a dome ending in a weather vane. The tower contained a large bell which rang periodically through the years, including the 14th of April in 1865 in honor of the slain

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. The courthouse standing today is the county's third. It was built between 1881 and 1884 at a cost of $360,000 by architect George H. Maetzel. The courthouse was designed in the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

style, popular at the time.

Exterior

The stone foundation is smooth sandstone. The ground floor has recessed rectangular windows. The southern center pavilion projects from the facade and is flanked by mansard-roofed towers which used to be topped with windows. A statue of an eagle once topped the pediment. The main entrance is reached by a flight of stairs and a small landing leading to a story arch. The windows of the main floor are high rectangular panels, the windows on the floor above are high arched panes. Above the main entrance rises a pediment that was once topped by the statue of Justice. The tower rises above the roof and consists of two bases stacked one on top the other. A dome with a four faced clock sits on the base. The dome narrows to a small spire. In the 1990s the courthouse was remodeled and updated. At this time the new Justice Center was built next door. The two buildings are connected by an overhead walkway. The new addition was constructed in the same colors to match the courthouse and houses a jail, several courtrooms and the sheriff's administrative offices.

History

Exterior

References

Further reading