1883 Stutsman County Courthouse

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2024

1. 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Dawn Maddox, 7/20/1976:
The original block of the Stutsman County Courthouse, an eclectic 2-story structure in which the Gothic Revival vocabulary predominates, has an ashlar granite foundation, exterior load-bearing masonry walls, stone sills and lintels, and interior wooden flooring and partition framing. The Stutsman County Courthouse is distinguished

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2024

2. 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse Marker

The marker is beside the northeast corner of the courthouse.

for both its age and design, being the oldest courthouse in North Dakota and one of only two in the state which derive from the Gothic Revival tradition. The building shares a city block with a combined sheriff's residence/jail, an imposing complex of Georgian inspiration, and the site is probably the principal location in Jamestown in terms of architectural and historic significance.

The original exterior character of the courthouse is intact and inside is a veritable museum of ornamental stamped metal interiors. But the building is not only a repository of past craft practices and taste. It is also symbolic of the values with which an earlier era confidently informed its architectural monuments: in this case, the advancement of civilization, the winning of self-government, and the orderly administration of justice.

Jamestown was founded in 1872 where the Northern Pacific Railway crossed the James River. The following year it became the seat of newly formed Stutsman County, named for Enos Stutsman (1826-1872), member of the Dakota Territory House of Representatives. From 1878 to 1883 the James River Valley witnessed one of the greatest land speculation booms in American history, and the new Stutsman County Courthouse, even before completion, was hailed as a fitting celebration of the achievements of the past half decade.

The architect of the building was Henry C. Koch (born 1841 in Hanover, Germany), who was educated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and served during the Civil War on General Philip H. Sheridan's staff as a topographical engineer. Following the war, Koch established the firm of H.C. Koch & Co. in Milwaukee, where he was responsible for a number of public projects, one of the most notable being the 1895 City Hall. He also produced buildings for the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and in Wisconsin and other states, his work included over 120 schools and 26 courthouses. Koch was commissioned to design the Stutsman County Courthouse by Anton Klaus, German-born entrepreneur who came to Jamestown in 1879 from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Known in local tradition as "the Father of Jamestown," Klaus purchased the plans for the courthouse at his own expense.

On August 8, 1883, a dedication ball was given at the courthouse, attended by "all the elite of the city" (Jamestown Daily Alert, August 9, 1883). After the passage of two decades, the basement jail was found to be inadequate and a new one, combined with a sheriff's residence, was built in 1904-05 south of the courthouse. Within another decade, the growth of county government demanded additional space, but the 1926 west wing was built only after the county commissioners were unsuccessfully sued by residents protesting the tax levy of $48,500 which financed the project. The architect was Gilbert R. Horton of Jamestown, born 1888 in Litchfield, Minnesota, and founder (in 1913) of the oldest active architectural firm in North Dakota. Horton was one of 17 architects to be licensed by the state in 1917, the first year the requirement was enacted.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2024

3. 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse
(east elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The east gable has a blind lancet arch above triple windows, but its principal embellishment is the entrance below, which combines elements of both the tower and the major gables. Metal-capped brick piers are joined by a pointed arch also topped with metal and rimmed by a series of spiky projections (originally there were seven but two have been removed). Recessed within is a compound lancet arch enclosing a transom consisting of a circular window centered between a pair of small triangular lights, reminiscent of a rose window.

Excerpt:  The Stutsman County Courthouse and Sheriff's Residence/Jail in Jamestown, North Dakota was built in 1883. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It was designed by architect Henry C. Koch. The west wing of the building was added in 1926 and was designed by architect Gilbert R. Horton.

The building was used as the courthouse for Stutsman County until the 1980s, when it was replaced by a newer building. Though plans called for the original building's destruction, ownership instead transferred to the State Historical Society of North Dakota, who is working to restore the courthouse and has listed the building as Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2024

4. 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse
(northwest elevation)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2024

5. 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse (northeast elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The corner at which facade and north elevation join contains the stair tower, the most striking feature of the design by virtue of its height and configuration. The upper stages of the tower are of greatest interest, particularly the identical north and south faces, with their consoles supporting pilasters from which, in turn, spring lancet arches enclosing circular clocks with Roman numerals. These compositions are crowned by steep pediments which, dormer-like, punctuate the now-truncated pyramidal roof of the tower from which the original cresting has been removed. An actual dormer with bell-cast mansard roof on brackets is at midpoint on the facade slope, while the rear or west slope remains unbroken.