Marion County Courthouse (Ohio)

	Marion County Courthouse
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Western front of the courthouse
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Location	Courthouse Sq., Marion, Ohio
Coordinates	40°35′20″N 83°7′42″W / 40.58889°N 83.12833°WCoordinates: 40°35′20″N 83°7′42″W / 40.58889°N 83.12833°W
Built	1884
Architect	David W. Gibbs
NRHP reference No.	74001572
Added to NRHP	July 25, 1974

The Marion County Courthouse is the seat of government for Marion County, Ohio, United States. Located at the heart of the city of Marion, it is a sister of the courthouses that stand in Washington Court House in Fayette County, Ohio, and Charlotte, Eaton County, Michigan. All three were designed by architect David W. Gibbs. The Fayette County Courthouse was built during 1882–1885, as was the one in Eaton County Michigan, which uses brick and stone for its exterior rather than stone for the Ohio built structures. The Marion County Courthouse was built during 1884–1886. The blueprints are a modification from even older designs for the Henry and .^{[citation needed]}

Ten portholes are decorated with sandstone heads of various figures. Four of them are meant to depict various races—a white woman, an African man, an Asian man, and an American Indian man. Other heads include two settler girls and a settler woman, plus a head similar to depictions of William Shakespeare.^[2]

In the 1970s, county officials announced a plan to perform extensive changes the building's interior, which had previously experienced few modifications since construction. The Marion County Historical Society protested the plans and aroused substantial public displeasure; preparations were made for a referendum to repeal the plans, and enough local residents signed a ballot petition that it would have qualified for a vote, but no vote was held because Ohio law does not permit referenda of the sort. Numerous original wood carvings and paintings were destroyed, ceilings were dropped, and aluminum doors installed. County officials sought to mollify local ire by retaining the building's exterior, including restoring the statue of Justice atop the tower.^[2]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Thrane, Susan W., County Courthouses of Ohio. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 2000, 103.

[nris-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.

[thrane-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b Thrane, Susan W., County Courthouses of Ohio. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 2000, 103.

[1]

[2]

show v t National Register of Historic Places in Marion County, Ohio
National Historic Landmark	Warren G. Harding House
Other properties	Caledonia Bowstring Bridge Harding Tomb Marion Cemetery Receiving Vault Marion County Courthouse Old US Post Office Palace Theater
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Marion County, Ohio and List of National Historic Landmarks in Ohio

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