County courthouses flaunt diverse architectural styles. Some rise from expansive lawns and exude solemnity and dignity. Others meld into cityscapes, like the Vermillion County Courthouse in Danville, Illinois. In 1913, it was built between a saloon and a men’s furnishings store! Neither of those businesses exist today, but the courthouse remains an imposing, intricate structure.
Vermillion County’s name comes from the Vermillion River, which was called that because of the vivid orange-red of the surrounding bluffs1. The area was one of the last parts of the state to be developed thanks to its remote, windswept nature. No one but trappers lived there until ranchers moved in2, and the county was officially incorporated in 1826. Danville followed a year later3.
The first courthouse was a sixteen-foot square log cabin built in 1827. After three years, officials sought bids for a replacement, but interest was scarce. Finally, after a two-year wait, builder Guerdon Hubbard stepped up4. His two-story brick courthouse, crafted from locally-fired bricks, endured until a devastating fire razed it in 18725.
The turn of events wasn’t all that bad considering Danville’s growth. Situated near the river, the railroad, and coal resources, it was a burgeoning regional force6! Four years after the courthouse was destroyed, officials hired E.E. Myers of Detroit to design a replacement to better reflect the community’s status. It was a difficult project for a young architect, but Myers delivered.
The challenge didn’t stem from Myers’ lack of experience. In fact, he already boasted an impressive portfolio that included the Macoupin County Courthouse in Illinois and the Michigan State Capitol! The issue lay in Vermillion County officials’ ambitious request for a grand courthouse. Somehow, it had to fit on a tiny lot on the corner of Danville’s public square.
Fortunately, commissioners recognized Myers’ talent early in his career. Before long, his reputation eclipsed his architectural achievements7. After he completed his three-story Italianate courthouse in Danville, Myers claimed a prominent architect named Edwin May had stolen his plans for the Indiana Statehouse. Myers lost in court. Although he went on to complete other courthouses in Marion, Indiana, and Elyria, Ohio, tales of Myers’ jiggery-pokery began to spread.
Eventually, he was fired from state capitol projects in Texas and Colorado. Years later, Illinois historian Paul Goeldner wrote that Myers “was a talented, dishonest, hard-working, spiteful, clever, unbalanced, self-assured, self-destructive hypochondriac whose story must be pieced together from fragments8.” Myers might have been a basket case, but his $105,000 Vermillion County Courthouse9 was a winner! Unfortunately, it soon proved too small for the community.
Vermillion County’s population was at an all-time high when Myers built his courthouse, but it continued to surge. By 1910, the area’s population nearly doubled to 78,000 residents. Officials were eager to address their growing community and build another courthouse! Unfortunately, the need for a referendum blocked their path9. A referendum was out of the question.
To get around it, commissioners discovered a loophole and devised a cunning strategy: repairing Myers’ courthouse didn’t require a vote or tally, so officials announced a remodeling project that would spruce it up. Of course, it came with a catch. In 1913, officials repaired the courthouse by demolishing it down to its cornerstone and completely rebuilding!
The present courthouse was dedicated the following year. Designed by C.M. Lewis and L.F.W. Stueber, it features two imposing five-story wings that follow the footprint of the previous building. A curved section houses its main entrance and connects them. Upon arriving, visitors are greeted by an expansive atrium illuminated by a stunning stained-glass skylight that soars to impressive heights. With eight courtrooms, the structure combines grandeur with functionality.
More than a hundred years after it was built, the courthouse remains in use. Unfortunately, Danville’s Lancaster-style public square -a rectangular roundabout- has long since faded into history. The courthouse commands attention up close, but details like its massive balustrade and pilasters sink into the urban landscape of downtown Danville. When I visited, it stood opposite a modern bank, a parking lot, and the abandoned Bresee Tower.
I’d be drawn to the twelve-story Breese Tower whether or not it stood near the courthouse. Built in 1918 for Danville’s First National Bank, the skyscraper is on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, the awkward layout of the Danville’s old public square meant that its architects had to connect it to an earlier building called the Daniel Block. For much of its existence, the Daniel Block was home to a Woolworth’s five-and-dime10.
Danville’s population stagnated by 1980, but its administrative needs continued to grow. That year, local businessmen donated the Daniel Block to serve as a courthouse annex11. Pressed into government service, the Romanesque Revival structure was covered in brick and an EIFS (exterior insulation and finish system) in 198812. I’ve never seen an uglier building!
I snapped a couple photos of Bresee Tower and the Daniel Block. They provided interesting context for the courthouse, but I didn’t know the deteriorating condition of Bresee Tower prompted officials to seek approval for its demolition in 202313. The tower had been vacant for more than a decade when I visited14.
In 2017, Vermillion County’s administrative offices relocated from the old Daniel Block to Danville’s 106-year-old federal courthouse a few blocks north15. Designed by U.S. Treasury architect James Knox Taylor, the neoclassical edifice stands just two blocks north of the courthouse. Presently known as the Vermilion County Administration Building, it houses offices for the county’s clerk, auditor, treasurer, and recorder.
I didn’t take a picture of Danville’s old federal courthouse. It’s an impressive structure, but most of the federal courthouses that the Office of the Supervising Architect built from 1897 to 1912 look nearly identical. The Vermillion County Courthouse, however, is unique. Despite its urban setting, the building remains as impressive as its peers that rise from an expansive, verdant square.
TL:DR
Vermillion County (pop. 73,095, 21/102)
Danville (pop. 28,787)
1/102 photographed
Built: 1913
Cost: $281,455 ($8.8 million today)
Architect: C.M. Lewis and L.F.W. Stueber
Style: Classical Revival
Courthouse Square: Ex-Lancaster square
Height: Five stories
Current Use: County offices and courts
Photographed 11/7/2020
Sources Cited
1 Callery, E. (2009). Place Names of Illinois. University of Illinois Press [Urbana]. Book.
2 Weiser, D. (2009). Illinois Courthouses. The Donning Company [Virginia Beach]. Book.
3 Stapp, K. & Bowman, W. I. (1968). History Under Our Feet: The Story of Vermillion County, Illinois. Interstate Printers and Publishers [Danville]. Book.
4 (See footnote 2).
5 Jones, L.E. (1911). History of Vermillion County Illinois. Pioneer Publishing Company [Chicago].Book.
6 Denman, M. (2017, July 30). Courthouse history traces back almost 200 years. The Danville Commercial-News. Web. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
7 Indiana Landmarks (2013). Grant County. Indianapolis. Indiana Landmarks. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
8 Talented, dishonest architect Myers designed area landmarks (2020, February 9). The State Journal-Register [Springfield]. Web. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
9 Deacon, J. “Vermillion County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
10 Denman, M. (2017, July 30). Courthouse history traces back almost 200 years. The Danville Commercial-News. Web. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
11 (See footnote 10).
12 National Register of Historic Places, First National Bank Building, Danville, Vermillion County, Ohio, National Register # 00001335.
13 Hinton, D. (2023, July 26). Danville gets go-ahead to demolish 12-story Bresee Tower. The News-Gazette [Danville]. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
14 Cooper, R. (2022, May 27). Ownership of historic Bresee Tower transferred to City after years-long lawsuit, former owner plans to appeal. WCIA [Champaign]. Web. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
15 Meadows, J. (2017, October 29). Danville Federal Courthouse To Become New County Admin Building. Illinois Public Media. Web. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
