The Martin County Courthouse is the county courthouse for Martin County,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The building is located at 201 Lake Avenue on the western side of the city of Fairmont, on a hill overlooking Lake Sisseton. It is a Beaux Arts building featuring a high copper dome with four clock faces. The first floor was made out of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

. The second and third stories are built of Bedford limestone. The arched entrance is flanked by polished double

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

columns and topped by a pediment. The building is connected to the brick and concrete Martin County Security Building by skyway on second level, and by tunnel below ground, at basement level. The security building provides space for police and detention, and was designed by 1972. The building is by and rises to the top of the roof, then to the top of the dome. with Renovations_at_Martin_County_Courthouse

History

The building was designed by

Charles E. Bell Charles Emlen Bell (1858–1932), often known as C.E. Bell, was an American architect of Council Bluffs, Iowa and Minneapolis, Minnesota. He worked alone and in partnership with John H. Kent and Menno S. Detweiler. He also worked as part of Be ...

and built by J. B. Nelson for $125,000 during 1906-1907. Interior murals of figures representing Peace, War, Inspiration, Genius, Sentence, and The Execution were painted by Franz E. Rohrbeck of Milwaukee. Interior finishing includes marble countertops, metalwork, and stained glass. The original clock, seated at the base of the domed roof, was designed and manufactured by noted clockmaker Seth Thomas. It features four 7 foot tall clocks, one on each side of the tower. Renovation of the building began in late 2020, with the aim of replacing the leaking copper roof, as well as restoring the clockworks inside of the tower.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places Beaux-Arts architecture in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Martin County, Minnesota Clock towers in Minnesota County courthouses in Minnesota Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Government buildings completed in 1907 National Register of Historic Places in Martin County, Minnesota