About this property
The Otter Tail County Courthouse is the seat of county government and a historic building located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, United States. Otter Tail County's first county seat was Ottertail City. After the decline of that city, it was moved to Fergus Falls in 1872. The previous courthouse was completed in 1881, and it was damaged by a tornado in June 1919. A bond issue was defeated by county voters in August of the same year because of confusion over whether the county was going to build a new courthouse, repair the old building, or wait for building costs to decrease. Another storm took off part of the courthouse's temporary roof a short time later. In November 1920, Judge William L. Parsons ruled that Otter Tail County no longer had a courthouse. That allowed the county commissioners to issue bonds and levy a 1% property tax to build a new building. The present courthouse was designed by the St. Paul architectural firm of Buechner & Orth, and it was completed in 1922 by L.P. Jorgenson for $322,000. The three-story brick and Bedford stone structure is an excellent example of the Beaux Arts style, although it is similar to other courthouses of the same style in the state. The law enforcement center was built behind the courthouse in 1962. Designed by Glenn W. Cording Associates, the same light color brick was used so it blends in with the older courthouse. The two buildings were joined together in 1972. The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
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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.
Everything a full report reveals about Otter Tail County Courthouse
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Questions about this property
When was Otter Tail County Courthouse listed on the National Register?
Otter Tail County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 1984.
What type of historic resource is Otter Tail County Courthouse?
Otter Tail County Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Otter Tail County Courthouse?
The period of significance for Otter Tail County Courthouse is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1872.
Can I research the history near Otter Tail County Courthouse?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Otter Tail County Courthouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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