February 2025.
Shelby County’s courthouse is a dignified Second Empire building, standing in the middle of Sidney’s Courthouse Square. Upon traveling to Sidney the only other Ohio town I had then visited was Newark, which has the exact same downtown typology and a similar courthouse, so I was immediately struck by the similarity between the two towns. I later discovered that this “courthouse square” typology is very common with more rural county seats, and that Sidney’s courthouse was indeed modeled after Newark’s.
The Shelby County Courthouse is located at 100 East Court Street, in the middle of Courthouse Square. It is bordered by Poplar Street and various Beaux-Arts buildings to the north, Court Street and the People’s Federal Savings and Loan Association to the south, Main Avenue and the Postmodern Courtview Center to the east, and Ohio Avenue and various Italianate commercial buildings to the west.
History
Shelby County was founded in 1819 from land that was previously part of Miami County. Its original county seat was Hardin, but a 70-acre plot of land along the Great Miami River was donated to become the new seat of Shelby County, which became Sidney as it is today. The current Shelby County Courthouse is the county’s third.
The first courthouse and jail was built along Ohio Avenue facing what would become Courthouse Square. County commissioners met in citizens’ homes until the buildings were completed in 1822. Sidney’s school classes were held in the new courthouse starting in 1823. The buildings were moved to West Avenue, a block west of Ohio Avenue, after the construction of the second courthouse. They have since been demolished.
Sidney’s second courthouse and a now-demolished church. (Shelby County Historical Society)
Shelby County’s second courthouse occupied the same site as the current building, but it was smaller both in height and footprint (44 feet square). It was completed in May 1833, built of white-painted brick. At that time, the square had a wooden fence and a high hedge surrounding it, meant to keep the public out. Though the fence was destroyed and the hedges cut down, it was replaced by a new fence, which led to protests. Sidney citizens wanted the square to be a public space, not fenced in for use by the commissioners alone. Evidently, they were successful, as the space is open for use today. By the end of the building’s life, it was perceived as small and outdated: “[The courthouse is] a plain unpretending brick structure, painted a dirty white. It is, indeed, the court house of 1832, and stands there alone, looking rather like a mournful ghost of the past decades than what it is. The day is not far distant, however, we hope, when it will give place to a structure more in keeping with the city and country of to-day.”
Carriages surrounding the 1883 courthouse. (Shelby County Historical Society)
The second courthouse was demolished around 1880 or 1881 for the construction of the extant one. It was built as part of “the great county courthouse drive of Ohio” (most extant courthouses in smaller Ohio counties date to c. 1870-1900). The Shelby County Courthouse was designed by Columbus architect G. H. Maetzel in the Second Empire style, and it was modeled after Newark’s courthouse, which was built four years earlier. Its construction began on Independence Day 1881 with a large ceremony, and the courthouse was completed in 1883.
A postcard of the courthouse. (eBay)
The Shelby County Courthouse was expected to cost $140,000, but overran this budget by $60,000. The first floor uses Berea sandstone, while the second and third include stone from Piqua. The tower is built from galvanized iron, housing a bell that is original to the courthouse.
Since I visited on the weekend, I didn’t get a chance to see the inside of the courthouse. Based on what I’ve seen online, the interior has been modernized in some regards but remains largely original. The Shelby County Courthouse is a contributing property in the Courthouse Square Historic District, listed in 1980.
Photos
For whatever reason, the photo that shows the gist of the courthouse that I’m happiest with was actually the last photo of it that I took, as I was wandering around taking pictures of other things. If I recall correctly, this shot looks northwest.
The similarities to Newark’s courthouse are pretty apparent here. Sidney’s has the same Second Empire style, very similar arched windows, projecting pedimented entries, a high central tower, and an asymmetrical rectangle plan. The only major difference is the towers at each corner--the Licking County Courthouse lacks these.
The tall trees surrounding the courthouse made it difficult to take good pictures, even in the winter. Here is the shorter west facade:
The south end was equally well-lit, and better visible:
Note how each bay and tower has two windows here, as opposed to one on the east and west sides. The central module is identical on all four.
The portico over each entrance is almost exactly the same as the Licking County Courthouse, minus a few decorative details. They both have Roman Doric columns on pedestals supporting a simple architrave and cornice. Also note the fallout shelter sign to the right of the doors.
I like the Corinthian engaged column and its contrasting red shaft supporting the drip molds here:
My camera autofocused on the branches on these next two instead of the courthouse like I intended. At least you can kinda see what I was trying to take a picture of? Here’s the central window:
I really like this Romanesque-inspired window and the middle circle being used as a datestone. Here’s the pediment above:
These details are really beautiful, so I got a few more pictures. This one highlights the ornamentation of the central window:
Even the keystone of the central arch has a little pediment! Second Empire architecture always abounds in detail in the best ways. Here’s a closer look at the gable on top and columns:
These pilasters are Corinthian, unlike the Licking County Courthouse’s Doric pilasters that support the pediment. I like the festoon above the capitals. You can see the building has a denticulated cornice, which is interesting--Ionic denticulation, Corinthian pilasters and engaged columns, and a Doric pediment and portico all on one building. The pediment and modillions are almost identical to Newark’s courthouse, except the pediment is unbroken here.
The tower soars above the roof from down below:
Lady Justice stands above each pediment on all four sides of the building. This is a really common feature of traditional courthouses, as the figure is wrought with symbolism that idealizes the justice system. On the base of the tower, you can also notice triglyphs--another Doric feature of the conglomeration of the orders that is going on here.
Looking a little closer, it seems like the leftmost column is sagging a bit:
Last but certainly not least are the towers on each corner. The windows are similar to the ones below it, just taller.
The mansard roofs are articulated beautifully, with a high level of detail:
Wow, the lighting was that good that day:
I can’t get enough of this tower. The play of light and shadow is simply fantastic.
What a great quality of architecture. Sidney and Newark were towns I visited that happened to be county seats, since I was most interested in Louis Sullivan’s architecture, but it taught me that Ohio’s towns and cities have really great historic architecture that isn’t just done by my favorite designers. I have probably half the county seats of Ohio on my “to-do list” now. :)
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_County,_Ohio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney,_Ohio
https://www.shelbycountyhistory.org/schs/downtown/courthouse.htm
https://www.shelbycountyhistory.org/schs/downtown/ctycourtsquare.htm
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