Indiana fourth graders study Hoosier history, and my teacher made us give a report on a city of our choosing. Intrigued by my dad’s proximity to the area and my stepbrother’s unwavering passion for Notre Dame football, I was drawn to South Bend. Turns out, I couldn’t have made a better choice- the city boasts not just one, but two historic courthouses! The first was built in 1855. It has a remarkable story.
I’m sad to report that the cardboard trifold I glued facts and figures on in 2002 no longer exists. Fortunately, information about South Bend and its surroundings is easy to come by. St. Joseph County was formed in 1830 and took its name from the St. Joseph River, which flows through the area on its way to Lake Michigan.
Located at “the portage of the St. Joseph and Kankakee Rivers1,” the town of St. Joseph was meant to serve as the county’s first seat. A Google Maps search reveals no such portage, but St. Joseph was nothing more than a piece of paper. Residents were immediately dissatisfied with its prospective locale, but officials convened at the nearby home of Alexis Coquillard until 1831.
That year, a hundred and twenty-five residents signed a petition that compelled the government to move to South Bend. Several early settlers, Coquillard among them, donated land to lay out a larger seat of government2. In 1832, officials determined they’d need a permanent home after Coquillard kicked them out of his house.
That January, county commissioners drafted requirements for an official courthouse. Eventually, they paid Peter Johnson $3,000 to build a two-story brick structure with a hipped roof and spire. It was completed in 1833. Five years later, a 20×40 foot addition with offices for the county clerk and recorder was added on.
South Bend grew significantly. Today, it’s the Big Apple of Michiana! TV pundits wrote the place off like it was some backwoods crossroads when Mayor Pete ran for president, but more than 100,000 people call South Bend home. It’s big enough to have a legitimate skyline!
At first, growth concentrated around the river, where factories sprung up around a pair of mill races. The railroad came in 18513. Henry Studebaker established a wagon shop the following year. It became clear that the courthouse wasn’t enough, so officials hired John Van Osdel to replace it.
Some consider Van Osdel to be the first “Chicago architect4.” He designed the Cook County Courthouse, Chicago City Hall, the second Palmer House Hotel, and the Illinois Governor’s Mansion. Although many of his designs were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire, his landmark in South Bend still stands. It’s one of Indiana’s few remaining Greek Revival courthouses from before the Civil War.
Built of cream-colored Lemont limestone sourced from Illinois5, Van Osdel’s courthouse boasts six two-story columns. The pillars support a Greek portico and a commanding clock tower. Inside, the ground floor accommodated a grand jury room and offices that were thought to eliminate the need for further expansions. Upstairs, the second floor featured a spacious courtroom, a jury room, and the judge’s chambers. The massive building weighed 28,000 tons6.
In 1873, a circuit court judge ordered that the courtroom be renovated to improve its acoustics. Workers remodeled it to conform to prevailing standards by adding intricate murals, stenciling, brackets, and a vaulted ceiling7. Unfortunately, the work wasn’t enough to keep the building viable. The county balooned by more than 40,000 people, and commissioners wanted a courthouse that reflected South Bend’s rising prominence.
Officials enlisted architects Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge to design a replacement. Unfortunately, they encountered a major obstacle: the existing courthouse was in the way! In a daring maneuver, project leaders jacked it up into the air and loaded it onto logs. A team of mules helped rotate the old courthouse 180 degrees and transported it to the opposite side of the square8! The remarkable feat of civic engineering preserved the old structure and made room for its replacement, which was completed in 1898.
After the courts left, the old building became home to the local Grand Army of the Republic post. The Northern Indiana Historical Society occupied it from 1907 to 1994, then the courthouse reverted to county ownership. In 1998, a $4.7 million project restored the courthouse to its Victorian appearance. Among the features added back were the courtroom’s stenciling and brackets, along with a mural of the Indiana state seal9.
Incredibly, the project didn’t just restore the building. It also reinstated its original function, complete with an ADA-compliant lobby on its east side! Today, you’ll go to John Van Osdel’s 1855 courthouse if you’re involved in a traffic or misdemeanor case in St. Joseph County. The revitalized building’s grand columns and intricate woodwork are vastly different from modern counterparts elsewhere. They transport participants and onlookers alike to a different era.
The significance of the 1855 structure can’t be overstated. There’s no other like it in the state! David Bainbridge, senior curator for the Northern Indiana Center of the History described the restored St. Joseph County Courthouse as “one of the most important touchstones to our history10.” Today, it remains a symbol of heritage, a hub of activity, and a beacon of local pride- the perfect subject for anyone studying Indiana history.
TL;DR
St.Joseph County (pop.363,014, 5/92)
South Bend (pop. 101,860)
Built: 1855, moved in 1896
Cost: $35,000 ($931,000 in 2016)
Architect: Maurer, Van Ryn, Ogden, & Natali
Style: International
Courthouse Square: Shelbyville Square
Height: 92 feet
Current Use: Some county courts
Photographed: 3/19/16 and 5/26/20
Sources Cited
1 Enyart, David. “St. Joseph County” Indiana County Courthouse Histories. ACPL Genealogy Center, 2010-2018. Web. Retrieved 9/19/19.
2 Howard, Timothy Edward. “A History of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1.” The Lewis Publishing Company [Chicago]. 1907. Print.
3 “History of St. Joseph County, Indiana.” Chas. C. Chapman & Co [Chicago]. 1880. Print.
4 “HISTORICAL TIMELINE”. Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. 2006. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
5 Indiana Landmarks (2013). St. Joseph County. Indianapolis. Indiana Landmarks. Web. Retrieved 9/19/19.
6 “Old Building Emerges from Surroundings” The South Bend Tribune [South Bend]. April 19, 1970. 9. Print.
7 “Courthouse’ The South Bend Tribune [South Bend]. August 11, 2000. 9. Print.
8 “A Look Back: 1855 Courthouse in South Bend has had many uses” The South Bend Tribune [South Bend]. April 2, 2018. Web. Retrieved 9/19/19.
9 Goodly Heline, M. (2000, November 21). History in use. The South Bend Tribune. p. 9.
10 “Old Courthouse renovations nearly done” The South Bend Tribune [South Bend]. August 11, 2000. 8. Print.
