The Gogebic County Courthouse is a government building located on North Moore Street in

Bessemer, Michigan Bessemer is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,805. It is the county seat of Gogebic County. The city is surrounded by Bessemer Township, but the two are administered autonomously. It is on U.S ...

. It was listed on 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 ...

in 1981 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.

History

Gogebic County Gogebic County ( ) is the westernmost county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the westernmost in the state as a whole. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 14,380. The county seat is Bessemer. This was historical ...

was split from

Ontonagon County Ontonagon County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, the population was 5,816, making it Michigan's third-least populous county. The co ...

in 1887. The county immediately started work on a courthouse, jail, and sheriff's office. The buildings were designed by the firm of Charlton and Kuenzli, and constructed in 1888 for $50,000 by contractor Herman Gundlach. The courthouse was enlarged in 1915. In 1974, the original jail and sheriff's office were demolished and replaced, and an elevator tower and annex to the courthouse were constructed. BessemerCH1920

Significance

The Gogebic County Courthouse symbolizes the cooperative effort of individuals, industries, and skilled workers in the Bessemer area in constructing a finely crafted building. It is a regional landmark, built when Gogebic County was a booming mining area, and reflects the economic prosperity of the times and the enthusiasm of county residents at a time when Gogebic County was a newly created political entity.

Description

The Gogebic County Courthouse is a rectangular Romanesque red sandstone building, two stories tall with a full basement. It has a hipped roof and a four-story square tower on the front facade. The entrance is through a carved, round arched entryway in the base of the tower. Farther up the tower are rectangular windows with transoms, surrounded by carved stone, and a porthole window. A dentilated

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

runs around the roofline of the building.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Romanesque Revival architecture in Michigan Government buildings completed in 1888 Buildings and structures in Gogebic County, Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites National Register of Historic Places in Gogebic County, Michigan