Painesville City Hall
About this property
The Painesville City Hall is the seat of the municipal government for the city of Painesville in the U.S. state of Ohio. The building is also referred to as the Old Lake County Courthouse due to its initial construction as the county courthouse for Lake County. City Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was designated a contributing property of the Mentor Avenue and Downtown Painesville historic districts in 1978 and 2020, respectively. On March 6, 1840, Lake County was split from Geauga County by an act of the Ohio General Assembly and established Painesville as its county seat. The act also stipulated that the construction of a county courthouse be funded by "voluntary subscription". The foundation for the new courthouse was laid later that year in Painesville. The building was not completed until 1852. A fire in 1841, dubbed the "Courthouse Disaster", destroyed the building materials for the new courthouse, delaying its construction, and was the trigger for the creation of the city's fire department. On September 10, 2011, a spotlight that illuminates the cupola at night started a fire within the copper-plated, wooden dome. The second floor received heavy smoke and water damage in addition to the fire damage to the cupola. Restoration of City Hall from the fire was completed a year later. National Register of Historic Places in Lake County, Ohio Craig, William P (April 25, 1971). "Painesville City Hall". National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form. National Archives and Records Administration. NAID 71989593. Retrieved September 2, 2025. Williams Brothers (1878). A History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co.
Location
Categories
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 Painesville City Hall
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Questions about this property
When was Painesville City Hall listed on the National Register?
Painesville City Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1972.
What type of historic resource is Painesville City Hall?
Painesville City Hall is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Painesville City Hall?
The period of significance for Painesville City Hall is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Painesville City Hall?
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 Painesville City Hall will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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