Sterling in Logan County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Logan County Courthouse

1910

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021

1. Logan County Courthouse Marker

Inscription.
Has been listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
by the United States Department of the Interior

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 40° 37.419′ N, 103° 12.574′ W. Marker is in Sterling, Colorado, in Logan County. It is on Main Street just east of South 4th Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is mounted on the north side of the Logan County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315 Main Street, Sterling CO 80751, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Eastern Plains.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

on the Great Plains,

and specifically on the High Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Replica of the Statue of Liberty (within shouting distance of this marker); Orville S. Johnson (1911-1987) and H. Catherine Johnson (1914-2003) (within shouting distance of this marker); I & M Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The South Platte River Valley (about 400 feet away); Sterling Public Library (about 500 feet away); Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depot (approx. 0.2 miles away); William Shaw Hadfield

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(approx. 0.2 miles away); "Dinkey Engine" (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sterling.

Regarding Logan County Courthouse. National Register of Historic Places № 79000615. Also a contributing property in Downtown Sterling Historic District, NRHP № 13000592. Also Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Site № 5LO.35.

From the National Register Nomination prepared by Lydia Vandemoer, 8/1978:
The Logan County Courthouse is significant for its distinctive architecture, the excellence of its craftsmanship, and its central role in politics, law, and government in Logan County, Colorado. About 1908 the county commissioners accepted the design of John J. Huddart. Construction began that year on a plot of land known in Sterling as civic square, but the cornerstone was not laid until June 23, 1909. On March 5, 1910, the county dedicated the building, erected at a cost of $100,000.
Since that time the first floor of the Courthouse has held the offices of the County Treasurer, County Superintendent, and County Clerk and Assessor. The second floor has housed the offices of the District Judge and the District and County Court Rooms. The basement originally contained the county
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021

2. Logan County Courthouse Marker
The marker is mounted above eye-level at the center of the grand staircase at the north/front courthouse entrance.
jail, but the area has since been converted to storage.
Architecturally, the Courthouse is representative of Classical style, not often found in rural Colorado. The workmanship is excellent, and the structure remains much as it was when erected, a landmark in downtown Sterling.
The Courthouse is rectangular in shape, but with many projections. The structure has two and one-half stories set over a full basement, part of which rises above the ground. The main or north facade has eleven bays with others set inside the projections. The south facade has nine bays, the east facade seven bays, and the west facade seven bays. The building material is primarily beige-white brick set in courses of stretcher bond accentuated with white, terra cotta quoins. The structure has a low hipped roof. Entry occurs through doorways in the center of each facade. The entries on the north, east, and west are raised to the level of the first floor, while the entrance through the south facade or rear of the building is on the ground level. The steps, reddish in color, are made of St. Vrain sandstone. On the roof there is a metallic dome in the center, a single chimney set off center, and one dormer above each facade.
The decorative elements are elaborate. The main entrance has a triangular pediment with a centered, ornate medallion and an exaggerated terra cotta keystone. The iron grillwork
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021

3. Logan County Courthouse Cornerstone
Laid by the M. W. Grand Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Colorado
A. D. 1909 A. L. 5909
John J. Huddart, Architect
Erected 1909
A. E. Warren, J. O. Shay, C. M. Morris, County Commissioners
Kaepernik & Jenkins, Contractors
on the transom has a scallop design which is repeated in metalwork in the interior. Paired, freestanding Corinthian columns flank the double doors. The east, west, and south entrances are less elaborate. The windows on the first floor have radiating voussoirs with keystone and lugsills made of terra cotta. The windows on the second floor have flat arches with keystones. Quoins grace all the corners in the structure — even the chimney and dormers. An entablature separates the basement from the first floor. Another circles the structure above the second floor, but below the galvanized tin cornice and frieze of dentils. The entablature on the north facade is deeply incised with the words "Logan County Courthouse."
The interior has fifty rooms but is dominated by a great rotunda inside the main entrance. The floors have Colorado Yule marble in the foyers and hexagonal ceramic tile in the central areas and in some offices on the main level. The stairways, railings and bannisters are of iron which repeats the scallop design of the exterior trim.

Also see . . .
1. Logan County Courthouse (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: The Logan County Courthouse in Sterling, Colorado was built in 1910. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It was designed by architect
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021

4. Logan County Courthouse (northwest elevation)
John J. Huddart in Classical Revival style. Its central rotunda area was restored in 1984. The building houses a collection of paintings by local artist Eugene Carara and also framed original linen blueprints by architect Huddart. It is also a contributing building in the Downtown Sterling Historic District.

(Submitted on November 23, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Logan County Courthouse Virtual Tour.

Presented by Colorado State University — Interior Architecture and Design Program

(Submitted on November 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Logan County Courthouse (History Colorado).

Excerpt: Constructed in 1909, this architecturally significant building includes many classical elements and elaborate ornamentation. The interior is dominated by a central rotunda.

(Submitted on November 25, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Logan County Courthouse (<i>south elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021

5. Logan County Courthouse (south elevation)

Logan County Courthouse (<i>southeast elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021

6. Logan County Courthouse (southeast elevation)

Logan County Courthouse (<i>north/front elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2021

7. Logan County Courthouse (north/front elevation)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 23, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.