herr2ck: Risen from the Ashes

March 2025.

The Clark County Courthouse is the county’s third, having been built over the foundations of the second, which burned down in a fire. It is a pretty severe Neoclassical building, much different than its ornate predecessor. However, its elaborate massing and crowning dome are interesting features.

The Clark County Courthouse is located at 101 North Limestone Street, on the northern edge of downtown Springfield, Ohio. It is bordered by a parking lot and North Street to the north, Columbia Street and the A. B. Graham Memorial Building to the south, Limestone Street and the post office to the east, and the County Offices and Municipal Courts expansion to the west.

History

Clark County was founded in 1818 from land that previously belonged to Champaign, Greene, and Madison Counties. It didn’t have a permanent courthouse at first and the court met in a tavern on Main Street, but the county commissioners received $2,215 from a group of citizens for the construction of one.

Clark County’s first courthouse. (courthousehistory.com)

This first courthouse was designed by the firm Ambler & Fisher. It was inspired by Ohio’s first state capitol building in Chillicothe, built as a two-story brick building with arched brickwork around the windows and a crowning cupola. Its construction began in 1820, but it was not completed until 1828. This first courthouse served Clark County for the next fifty years.

Historic postcard of the 1881 courthouse. (courthousehistory.com)

As Springfield grew, the 1828 courthouse became too small for the larger population, and a new building was commissioned. It was designed in 1878 and completed in 1881 by the firm Thomas J. Tolan & Son in the popular Second Empire style, featuring a mansard roof and high southern tower. Unlike the extant courthouse, the 1881 building was centered on Columbia Street.

The second Clark County Courthouse after its fire. (Springfield Fire Journal)

This courthouse stood until March 1918, when it caught fire at 1:00 AM. The cause is unknown, but it was believed to have started in a second-floor bathroom. Much of the building was ruined, and it needed to be rebuilt.

Historic photo of the existing Clark County Courthouse. (courthousehistory.com)

The existing courthouse was designed by William K. Schilling in 1918. It was built on the burnt foundations of its predecessor, incorporating some of the first floor’s original walls. While the base retains the same rusticated stone, the expression is much more literal and severe. The building was completed in 1924.

The late Modernist annex to the west was designed by Kline-Meier and completed in 1988.

The Clark County Courthouse is currently being renovated (as of writing). The windows date from an earlier renovation, and much of the work is being done on the interior. It is scheduled to reopen in September 2025.

Photos

Let’s start by looking northwest from the corner of Columbia Street and Limestone Street:

The copper dome is really interesting, but its low stature is best visible from far away. I think it’s cool how the building’s footprint had to respond to the original foundation. The contrast is pretty crazy between the shaded and sunlit sections:

The west facade has a simple architrave and cornice, rather than a pediment:

This was not uncommon of Neoclassical architecture, since it rejected the craziness of originally Baroque architecture and later Second Empire and Beaux-Arts. A more prominent example is the Lincoln Memorial.

These detailed windows are cool.