I used to hate additions to historic courthouses. They always felt so bland and uninspired, and they never quite captured the spirit of the original architecture. Over time, though, I’ve come to appreciate the practicality behind the expansion projects I’ve seen. They keep these old landmarks alive and functional, and I’m all for preserving them for as long as possible. That said, some enlargements may go too far. In Monroe County, Michigan, the historic courthouse only makes up about a quarter of the current building!
Before Monroe County was formed, the predominant community in the area was Frenchtown. It sat on land given to early French settlers by the Potawatomi that was claimed for New France in the late 1700s1. The community was incorporated as a village in 1817, the year Monroe County was officially established2. It was soon renamed after President James Monroe and made the county seat.
The first Monroe County Courthouse was an ugly two-story log structure built in 1818 “of a dingy yellow color3.” Courts used the top portion of the ramshackle building, while the bottom floor was dedicated to the jail and jailer’s residence. A whipping post stood on the courthouse lawn, which was unusual for the area. Prisoners were lashed in public until about 18354!
Unfortunately, little is known about the second courthouse. A stone structure, the building was erected in 1839 and stood for forty years before it was destroyed by fire5. The original iteration of the present structure, designed by Toledo architect E.O. Fallis, cost $25,000 and was dedicated in 1880.
By my count, Fallis was responsible for seven courthouses across the Midwest. All but one are still standing, and you could make a day trip to five if you started in Bryan, Ohio. Fallis’ buildings followed an interesting stylistic progression: his first two, here in Monroe and in Rushville, Illinois, were built in the Renaissance Revival style6.
Later in his career, Fallis began designing courthouses that featured a mishmash of Italianate and Romanesque Revival influences. His red-brick courthouses in Bryan and Paulding, Ohio; Albion, Indiana; and Adrian, Michigan, all look completely different than his earlier offerings.
Fallis’ Monroe County Courthouse faces northeast. At first, access was gained through a pedimented loggia that supports a modillioned cornice7. The building’s most prominent feature is undoubtedly its cream-colored tower, which rises eighty feet from the structure’s northwest corner8. The elaborate clocktower features a high-pitched mansard roof and widow’s walk.
Unlike many of Fallis’ other landmark courthouses, the modest height of the Monroe County Courthouse doesn’t lend itself to being seen from an extreme distance away. It’s still a landmark in downtown Monroe, though, where it can easily be spied from the north just after crossing River Raisin.
The best angles for taking photos are those that highlight the building’s clock tower. That’s because the courthouse has been expanded three times, all to unfortunate aesthetic expense. The first addition happened in 1954 when a $270,000 expansion extended the building about a hundred feet to the southwest.
Twelve years later, the courthouse was expanded fifty-six feet to the southeast with another four-story addition9. Both wings were designed with all the bland, mid-century aplomb the architects could muster. A final brick expansion that cost $4 million and measured nearly 47,000 square feet connected all the disparate elements and was completed in 198610.
I’m grateful that Monroe County’s 1880 courthouse is still standing. Preserving such a piece of history is no small feat! Unfortunately, as much as I appreciate the effort to keep the building around, it’s hard not to feel disappointed when you see how it’s been overshadowed by its massive additions. From most angles, it’s almost as if the character and charm of the original structure have been swallowed up.
I’ve been taking photos of old courthouses for more than a decade now, and I’ve realized there’s a delicate balance to be struck when modernizing those historic landmarks. On one hand, they need to be adapted for today’s needs. On the other, it’s crucial to retain the integrity of the original design, the very thing that makes the building special in the first place. In Monroe County’s case, it feels like the scale tipped too far toward expansion. While the courthouse remains, its historic presence has been diminished. In some ways, the past has been overshadowed by progress.
TL;DR
Monroe County (pop. 36,816, 15/88)
Monroe (pop. 19,968)
19/83 photographed
Built: 1880
Cost: $25,000
Architect: E.O. Fallis
Style: Second Empire
Courthouse Square: Shelbyville Square
Height: 80 feet
Current Use: County offices and courts
Photographed: 1/2/21.
Sources Cited
1 Romig, W. (1973). Michigan Place Names. Wayne State University Press [Detroit]. Book.
2 Bibliography on Monroe County (n.d.). Clarke Historical Library. Central Michigan University [Mt. Pleasant]. Web. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
3 Fedynsky, J. (2010). Michigan’s County Courthouses. The University of Michigan Press [Ann Arbor]. book.
4 Old Whipping Post (n.d.). Monroe County Historical Society [Monroe]. Historical Marker Database. Web. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
5 Deacon, J. “Lake County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
6 Deacon, J. “Williams County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved 2/8/21.
7 Eckert, K.B. (n.d.) Monroe County Courthouse. SAH Archipedia [Chicago].Web. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
8 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Monroe, Monroe County, Michigan (1888). The Sanborn Map Company. Web. Retrieved October 19,2 024.
9 (See footnote 3).
10 (See footnote 3).
