Huron County Courthouse and Jail

Huron County Courthouse and Jail
Courthouse in 2013
Location E. Main St. and Benedict Ave., Norwalk, Ohio
Coordinates 41°14′31″N 82°36′55″W / 41.24194°N 82.61528°WCoordinates: 41°14′31″N 82°36′55″W / 41.24194°N 82.61528°W
Built 1913
Architect Vernon Redding
Architectural style Renaissance, Queen Anne
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 74001534[1]
Added to NRHP July 12, 1974[1]

The Huron County Courthouse and Jail is located by a busy downtown intersection in Norwalk, Ohio, USA. The ground floor is composed of rusticated blocks and recessed arched windows. The entrance is reached by a flight of stairs and a protruding portico. Two small windows frame either side of the entrance.

The second floor is made up of smooth masonry blocks with a balcony framed by masonry walls and framed inside with Doric columns. The corner windows are long rectangular panels framed with a decorative border and keystone. The windows by the portico are arched with decorative borders and ketystones. A tower rises from the flat roof and supports a four faced clock. The tower is capped with a colonnaded belfry and an urn on top.

The building now standing is the county's third courthouse, the first and second being destroyed. The current building has reused the foundation and some walls from the second building. The third courthouse was built in 1882 and designed by Vernon Redding. A remodel of the structure occurred in 1913 after a fire destroyed the top floor.

Clock and Bell

The bell was cast by the McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland in 1913. Inscriptions include name of the bell foundry and the name of the tower clock's maker.

The bell has a pitch of e-flat and its diameter is approximately 30 inches. Currently, the bell is not used due to a deteriorated mounting. The bell is mounted with the ability to swing, however there is currently no rigging to do so. There are plans to restore the bell to working condition in the future.

The tower clock was manufactured by the Seth Thomas Clock Company of Thomaston, Connecticut. Serial number 1829 and the date 7 October 1913 are indicated on the frame. The clock has been modified at some point since installation to run on electricity.

Former Jail

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.