July 2025.
The Old Kendall County Courthouse in Yorkville is an 1887 replica of an 1864 Italianate design that was destroyed by a fire. Its nearby jail is also a common example of older county jails. Both are relatively close to the Farnsworth House in Plano, the main reason I was in Kendall County, so I figured I’d stop in Yorkville afterwards. The building has been altered over the years and has a sort of McMansion-y look to it today.
The Old Kendall County Courthouse stands on a hill above downtown Yorkville and is bordered by the nearby Kendall County Office Building to the south.
History
Oswego’s 1848 Greek Revival courthouse. (Courthouse History)
Oswego was originally the home of Kendall County’s courthouse, but it was moved to Yorkville in the early 1860s. Yorkville’s original Kendall County Courthouse was designed by Chicago architect O. S. Kinnie, who had designed others across the Midwest. Its construction began in 1862 on the present site and was completed in 1864. Unfortunately, no photos exist of this original courthouse. It is known that artists Weidling and Brothers painted various murals on the walls and ceilings on the first and second floors, and the courthouse’s configuration was similar to the 1887 reconstruction in the basement and first floor. However, the second floor was almost entirely devoted to the courtroom, which had auditorium-style seating for the audience and “terrible acoustics.”
In 1872, the slate roof already needed to be replaced due to poor construction quality. It was replaced a third time in 1887, immediately prior to the fire, and the privy behind the courthouse had a new cistern installed to fix an overflow issue. Sounds like the architect did a great job!
Postcard of the 1887 courthouse with its original dome. (Courthouse History)
In the early morning of March 25, 1887, the courthouse caught fire. The county sheriff and his family, two prisoners in the county jail, and most of the county’s records were saved. Even though the fire burned slowly, Yorkville lacked a fire department, so the city had to telegraph Aurora railroad workers to send water cars there. By the time the cars arrived, it was too late, and all that was left standing of the original courthouse was the brick walls.
The courthouse was only insured for $12,000, $10,000 less than its construction cost. Kendall County citizens requested $30,000 from the Illinois state legislature to rebuild, but they were denied, leaving them responsible for the costs. The residents did not want to pay higher taxes and would rather have dissolved the county to rejoin LaSalle and Kane County. Ultimately, they changed their minds after some Aurora businessmen planned to form a new county with Aurora as the seat. (Aurora remains the largest city in Illinois that is not a county seat.)
The courthouse was rebuilt using what remained after the fire by architect Henry Hebard. Yorkville’s Union Block served as the courtroom and storage for county records in the interim. The walls were reinforced with iron and the second floor was redesigned to allow space for a library and the state attorney’s office. The original cupola atop the building was replaced by a smaller dome.
In 1893, the county jail was completed across the street, built by the Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company. It replaced the earlier jail and sheriff’s residence in the courthouse’s basement. Afterwards, the basement was used by the Grand Army of the Republic.
The courthouse burned a second time on June 7, 1901, after wooden floor joists above the uninsulated boiler caught fire. Yorkville had established a fire department, and along with the fire-resistant iron framing, the fire was small and easily extinguished. The floor joists were replaced with iron and a new fireproof ceiling was installed. The dome on top of the courthouse was removed in 1920 due to leaks.
The Kendall County Courthouse after the removal of its cupola and its additions. (Courthouse History)
Kendall County’s population fluctuated heavily over the decades, even dwindling between 1880 to 1920. However, by the 1950s, population growth and the increased number of government programs overcrowded the courthouse. In 1958, two one-story additions were completed by Aurora architect Robert H. Shelp. The county offices moved to a new building in 1976, as did the jail in 1992. Finally, the old courthouse itself was closed in 1998, though it was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places that year.
A better look at the principal facade prior to restoration. (NRHP listing)
Luckily, the courthouse was restored between 2000 and 2001 by architect Michael Dixon, though this seemed to include alterations such as new windows. A new cupola was added, which is similar to the one removed in 1920. It seems to still be in use today by certain county offices.
Photos
Let’s start with the principal north facade:
Pretty simple Italianate design. The base is rusticated limestone, which continues up the sides in quoins. Two entrance doors are vaulted with a transom above and two sidelights. The windows are a simple segmental design on the first floor and a double-arched form on the second floor. The central window is very out of scale, but the opening seems to be original. The roof is supported by an entablature with modillions and dentils. I think the addition also does a good job respecting the setback of the two wings.
I like the entrance, and I think the doors are original:
Zoomed in on the roof and second floor:
I have a photo of the cupola by itself, but it’s poorly framed, underexposed, and not zoomed in far enough, so I’m leaving it out. You can at least get the gist from my other pictures--it’s pretty historically accurate except the plastic windows.
Second floor crossing:
I never noticed this building is a Latin cross in plan until now. Very church-like.
I really love this style of window. If there is a name for the style, I don’t know, but I just refer to them as “double-arched.”
A good look at the whole thing from the southwest:
The additions ruin the effect of this courthouse. It was originally skinny and vertical, and now it’s much wider and has an odd sort of stepping effect.
The south end is very bare and largely brick, probably because it was the secondary entrance:
Simple brick vaulted door and sidelights:
Arched second-floor windows and balcony (I believe it is restored and original to the building):
Here’s a nice angled view of the front:
We’ll quickly stop at the jail last. It has a simple Queen Anne look in front, though it is unusually symmetrical:
In back, the old cells are visible:
The Old Kendall County Courthouse is definitely humble and not something I would really seek out for blog/photography purposes (I didn’t even visit downtown Yorkville or Oswego because what little historic fabric is left is highly altered), but it wasn’t too far out of my way, and it’s a good example of a smaller county’s courthouse.
Sources:
https://www.courthousehistory.com/gallery/states/illinois/counties/kendall
https://courthouses.co/us-states/h-l/illinois/kendall-county/
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