Ohio’s Clark County Courthouse is the kind of building that cities with modern courthouses wish they had. It stands nestled in the heart of downtown Springfield as a testament to the civic pride of its constituents but, remarkably, embraces two divergent architectural styles that were popular nearly forty years apart.
Clark County was established in 1818. The current courthouse is the county’s third, or fourth if you count John Hunt’s tavern. That’s where regular sessions were held until an actual courthouse was built. Madox Fisher and John Ambler completed the second building’s walls and roof by 1820. Unfortunately, it sat without floors, windows, and woodwork until it was eventually finished in 1828.
Once done, the courthouse hosted lectures, conventions, church services, and other events in addition to its prescribed duties1. A county office building was added east of the courthouse in 1868, and a supplemental structure to the west followed in short order2. The courthouse was never large enough for the county’s needs, but it lasted until 1878, when it was sold and dismantled. The event “disproved the ancient tradition that it was extra strong, as the mortar clove from the bricks with unusual ease3,” a period county history recalled.
The current building had its start with the Tolans of Fort Wayne. T.J. and his son, Brentwood, were responsible for some of the area’s landmark courthouses, including those in Rockville, Warsaw, and LaGrange, Indiana. The father-and-son duo drew up Clark County’s in the Second Empire style to feature corner projections, mansard roofs, and a pyramidal clock tower. It was a landmark for forty years until it was gutted by a fire on March 12, 19184.
Emergency responders did what they could to save the courthouse. Unfortunately, its foundation was all that could be preserved. Today, it remains underneath the current courthouse designed by architect William K. Schilling. A local, Schilling was also responsible for planning the Oakwood Presbyterian Church and Springfield’s stunning post office.
The current Clark County Courthouse was dedicated in 1924. The juxtaposition of the Tolans’ rusticated basement arches and the smooth, stone block of Schilling’s upper stories is an interesting contrast. That said, the building’s most prominent feature is its entry portico. There, four doric columns support a tall parapet and central clock above an entablature that identifies the structure. A shallow dome on a tall, octagonal5 drum rises from behind the parapet, but it’s not so easily seen from the street.
The squat Clark County Courthouse would be a defining feature of any other small city it was built in, but Springfield is unusual. For a place with only 60,000, it has an incredible skyline! The jagged E.F. Hutton Tower rises about 165 feet above street level, and the old Richardson Romanesque city hall isn’t too far behind6. The 1906 Hull Building tops out at 134 feet, and the Tecumseh Building rises to 120.
Fortunately, the towering Clark County Offices and Municipal Courts Building ensures the county’s judicial system contributes to the impressive skyline. Connected to the courthouse by an elevated walkway, the five-story tower was designed by architects Kline-Meier and completed in 1988 for $5.7 million7.
The Offices and Municipal Courts Building is undoubtedly modern, but some struggle to classify the architectural style of Schilling’s 1924 courthouse. The Ohio Supreme Court, for instance, calls it Second Empire in a description that may be a reference to its predecessor8. Ohio Memory calls it Neoclassical9.
I’m not an expert, but both seem correct depending on which part of the building is being assessed. All told, I’ve decided to go with the latter. What remains of the Tolans’ Second Empire plan isn’t insignificant, but most of the structure is clearly Neoclassical with a reverence for classical antiquity, a symmetrical design, a temple-like facade, and restrained ornamentation.
It’s a fine building, but the Clark County Courthouse represents more than what its Second Empire and Neoclassical details suggest. Over the past century, the structure has seen Springfield transition from its tenure as the “Home City” with its variety of fraternal organizations, its status as the “Champion City” after Champion Farm Equipment, and the decline of the enormous Cromwell-Collier Publishing house.
Despite myriad changes in surrounding Springfield, a great old courthouse stands proudly at the corner of Limestone and Columbia Streets. I hope it does for another hundred years! Its mix of Second Empire and Neoclassical architecture is unusual in Ohio’s annals of historic courthouses, and the citizens of Springfield should appreciate it as a true landmark.
TL;DR
Clark County (pop. 134,083, 64/88)
Springfield (pop. 59,132)
Built: 1924
Cost: $115,000 (1.74 million today)
Architect: William K. Schilling
Style: Neoclassical
Courthouse Square: Shelbyville Square
Height: 2.5 stories
Current Use: County offices and courts
Photographed: 11/2/19
Sources Cited
1 Thrane, Susan W., Patterson, B., & Patterson, T. “County Courthouses of Ohio” Indiana University Press [Bloomington]. November 1, 2000. Print.
2 Prince, B. A Standard History of Springfield and Clark County, Ohio (1922). The American Historical Society [Chicago]. Book.
3 “The History of Clark County, Ohio” W.H. Beers & Co. [Chicago]. 1881. Print.
4 “Clark County Courthouse – 1918” Springfield Fire Journal and Ohio Fire History. September 17, 2019. Web. Retrieved 2/5/21.
5 Deacon, J. “Clark County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved 2/5/21.
6 Springfield, Ohio” Emporis. Emporis GMBH. 2020. Web. Retrieved 2/5/21.
7 Maier, K. (1988, June 23). Opening postponed again. The Springfield News-Sun. p. 3.
8 Ohio Courthouses (n.d.). The Supreme Court of Ohio & The Judicial System [Columbus].Web. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
9 Clark County Courthouse (2011, January 26). Ohio Memory. Ohio History Connection [Columbus]. Web. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
