National Register of Historic Places

Ontonagon County Courthouse

Ontonagon, Ontonagon County, Michigan
Listed
November 14, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80001888

About this property

The Ontonagon County Courthouse is a government building located at 601 Trap Street in Ontonagon, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Ontonagon County was created in 1843 from the southwestern portion of Houghton County. However, the site of the current county seat was not decided until 1858, and a decision to build a proper courthouse was not made until 1884. The Ontonagon County Courthouse, designed by the architectural firm of Charlton, Gilbert & Demar, was completed in 1886. Ten years later in 1896, a disastrous fire destroyed most of the city, including this courthouse. However, the foundation and brick walls were salvaged, and the interior was redesigned and rebuilt. The near-destruction of Ontonagon came at a tumultuous time in Ontonagon County's history, soon after a portion of the county split off to form Gogebic County and while another section of Ontonagon was considering doing the same. Reconstruction of the town, its port, and the courthouse pulled the citizens of the county together. An addition to the courthouse was built in 1937. As of 1980, the county built a new courthouse and the old one is no longer in use. The old court house is in private hands, and as of 2016 was owned by Jason Pragacz. The Ontonagon County Courthouse is a two-story Romanesque Revival structure, built of brick on a sandstone foundation. Three sides have similar facades a central entrance in a gabled pavilion flanked by tall double-hung windows. The stone window lintels form part of a beltcourse that circles the building. A bay window is above the entrance, and the hipped roof has projecting dormers and a glass-roofed dome at the peak. The rear sports a rectangular addition.

Location

601 Trap St.
Ontonagon, Ontonagon County, Michigan
46.87406, -89.31134

Categories

POLITICS/GOVERNMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Ontonagon Lighthouse
Industrial
0.4 mi
Ontonagon School
Industrial
0.4 mi
Ontonagon Harbor Piers Historic District
Modern
0.8 mi
Bergland Administrative Site
Industrial
23.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ontonagon County Courthouse listed on the National Register?

Ontonagon County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Ontonagon County Courthouse?

Ontonagon County Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ontonagon County Courthouse?

The period of significance for Ontonagon County Courthouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Ontonagon County Courthouse?

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