Read time: 6 min.

One of the most gratifying aspects of learning about historic courthouses is to see how many of them feature common lineage. Early on, I noticed that several I’d ventured to looked similar. Later, I learned they were designed by the same architects! I’d been to E.O. Fallis’ courthouses across three states before I finally made it to his Lenawee County Courthouse in Adrian, Michigan. Although it was undergoing significant work at the time, the building didn’t disappoint.

Originally part of Monroe County, Lenawee was created in 1822 and officially organized four years later¹. The county was named by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, a US Indian agent and ethnologist who learned of the Ojubwe culture through his wife. Scholars argue, but it’s said that “Lenawee” comes from a misappropriation of a native word from either the Lenape or the Shawnee language². 

The city of Tecumseh had been established in 1824 and became Lenawee County’s first seat of government. A courthouse was built in 1829. Without many suits to be tried, court often opened and adjourned on the same day³! Unfortunately for Tecumseh, a horse-drawn railroad was established from Toledo to the centrally-located community of Adrian in 1836⁴. The new form of transportation spurred growth, and Adrian became the seat of Lenawee County two years later. 

Adrian’s first courthouse was built in 1837. A tall, single-story Greek Revival structure, the courthouse featured four enormous columns that supported a wide pediment⁵. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed in 1857 during the trial of a man said to have murdered his wife. Some attribute the fire to the brother of the accused⁶. 

After the fire, Lenawee County went without a permanent courthouse for thirty-three years. Taxpayers resisted funding a building they believed would only benefit the citizens of Adrian. Eventually, city officials offered $15,000 toward a new courthouse, but only if the county contributed $50,000 of their own⁷. The contribution broke the stalemate, and commissioners hired Toledo architect E.O. Fallis to design Lenawee County’s third courthouse.

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 Adrian. Interestingly, his buildings followed a unique stylistic progression: his first two courthouses in Monroe, Michigan and Rushville, Illinois, were built in the Renaissance Revival style. They featured low-pitched roofs, classical columns and pilasters, and parapets that hid their rooflines.

Fallis’ next two courthouses in Adrian and Independence, Kansas, were much different than their older siblings. Done up in red brick with heavy Romanesque Revival influences, the buildings incorporate round arches, towers, and complicated rooflines. Fallis’ later courthouses in Albion, Indiana, and Paulding and Bryan, Ohio, featured similar cues. 

Fallis’ Lenawee County Courthouse stands out among its peers thanks to its Michigan sandstone foundation and dark brick exterior. Facing southeast, massive granite columns support the building’s enormous archways, while terra-cotta friezes depict a variety of motifs. Flaming torches, upraised hands, eagles, Chief Tecumseh, and the Goddess of Agriculture are all represented in its decorations.

The 132-foot courthouse tower dominates the Adrian’s skyline and far surpasses anything else I saw during my brief visit. At its peak stands a 21-foot flagpole, the tallest I’ve ever encountered! It proudly displays a flag year-round. Because of the building’s unique construction, accessing the flagpole is a serious challenge. On days of mourning, the tower remains flagless. Instead, an east-facing flag on the lawn is flown at half-mast⁸.

Before I visited, the exterior of the courthouse remained largely unchanged since it was built. Unfortunately, the interior had undergone significant transformations. Some original features, like its grand staircases and decorative plasterwork were still visible, but new walls and ceilings were added to create additional space and comply with fire codes. The tower’s internal structure was concealed, and one of the former courtrooms had been repurposed into office space.

Still, the historic courthouse houses county offices today. It continues to meet the needs of its community, but the Rex B.Martin Judicial Building is now home to most of Lenawee County’s judicial functions including the circuit, district, and probate courts. Dedicated in 1980, the $4.3 million structure rises four-stories. It faces east and features a glass atrium. Ultimately, it’s nondescript.

Unfortunately, I picked a crummy day to visit the 1885 courthouse: not only was it snowing, but my good camera was at home and the building was undergoing an enormous renovation! Windows were boarded up, the site was cordoned off, and its clocks were nowhere to be found. Fallis’ asymmetrical courthouses are difficult to take photos of on a good day, but my day wasn’t.

Still, as disappointed as I was, it’s hard to be upset with the results of the $8 million project that wrapped up in 2022. After nearly two years of work, the building’s stairways were reopened, the rotunda was restored, and a new stained glass domed was installed above it. The old courtroom was even fixed up to its original splendor! Aside from aesthetic concerns, the courthouse was completely rewired, re-plumbed, and remade for use well into the twenty-first century⁹. 

I’m thrilled that the Lenawee County Courthouse received the attention it deserves. E.O. Fallis’ gem has stood in downtown Adrian for nearly a hundred and forty years, which is an astounding track record in a state that largely features modern courthouses. Construction is frustrating and disruptive, but the photos I took represent a moment in time since lost to history. I don’t know when I’ll make it back to Adrian, but when I do, I’ll be sure to share an update. 

TL;DR
Lenawee County (pop. 96,760, 21/83)
Adrian (pop. 20,238)
18/83 photographed
Built: 1885
Cost: $47,460 (about $1.5 million today)
Architect: E.O. Fallis
Style: RIchardson Romanesque
Courthouse Square: Shelbyville
Height: 132 feet
Current Use: County offices
Photographed: 1/2/2021

Sources Cited
1 Bonner, R.I. (1909). Memories of Lenawee County, Michigan. Western Historical Association [Madison]. Book. 
2 Michigan Counties (n.d.) History, Arts and Libraries. Michigan.gov [Lansing]. Web. Retrieved December 9, 2024. 
3 Cole, M. (1974). Michigan’s Courthouses Old And New. Maurice Cole [Oakland County]. Book. 
4 Portraits of Michigan: History and Facts on Michigan (2015). The Michigan Legislature [Lansing]. Web. Retriebed December 9, 2024. 
5 (See footnote 3). 
6 Fedynsky, J. (2010). Michigan’s County Courthouses. The University of Michigan Press [Ann Arbor]. book. 
7 (See footnote 6).
8 (See footnote 6). 
9 Lowe, M. (2022, January 9). Old Lenawee County Courthouse renovations complete; employees moved in. The Daily Telegram. Web. Retrieved December 11, 2024.