Alpena County Courthouse

Alpena County Courthouses is a historic courthouse in Alpena, Michigan. It houses the circuit court and county clerk, while district court and probate court are housed across the street in the County Annex Building.

Alpena County Courthouse
Alpena County Courthouse is located in Michigan
Alpena County Courthouse
Location within the state of Michigan
Alpena County Courthouse is located in the United States
Alpena County Courthouse
Alpena County Courthouse (the United States)
Location720 W Chisholm Street, Alpena, Michigan
Coordinates45°4′5″N 83°26′30″W
Area4 acres (1.6 ha)
BuiltOctober 21, 1934
ArchitectWilliam H. Kuni; Henry C. Webber Construction Co.
NRHP reference No.83003643[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 08, 1983
Designated MSHSOctober 23, 1979[2]

History

The first courthouse in Alpena County was located at 150 East Chisholm Street, now the site of the I.O.O.F. Centennial Building.[3] The building was destroyed by a fire on December 12, 1870, and a replacement was built in 1881 at 720 W Chisholm Street. It met a similar fate on November 22, 1932.</ref> "The Alpena News" dated November 23, 1932 [4][5]

Clocktower

The current courthouse opened October 21, 1934. The building was designed by architect William H. Kuni of Detroit and built by the Henry C. Webber Construction Co. of locally produced poured Portland cement made from locally quarried limestone.[6][7] According to Kuni, it was the first monolithic poured building constructed during the winter in a cold climate.[1][8][9] Kuni also designed the Tuscola County Courthouse.[10]

It was financed partly by local bonds and WPA grants.[8]

The Art Deco building, dubbed "Fort Alpena" by a local writer, is embellished by architectural sculpture, including an eagle perched atop the clock on the main facade and figures of Justice and Law as well as "fascia designs show(ing) images of the county's lumbering, shipbuilding, farming, fishing and recreational industries."[11]

On December 8, 1983, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, item # 83003643.[1][12][13] It is a state registered historic site.[14]

The Alpena County Annex houses the district and probate courts. It is located at 719 Chisholm Avenue[15][16] and opened in 1997.[5]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. State of Michigan (2009). "Alpena County Courthouse". Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  3. "Comprehensive Plan" (PDF). City of Alpena, Michigan. December 13, 2013. pp. 5–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  4. Cole, Maurice F., ‘’Michigan’s Courthouses: Old and New’’, Library of Congress 74-27625, 1974, p. 14
  5. "Alpena County courthouses gallery". Courthouse history.com. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  6. "Alpena County Courthouse". Alpena County. Pure Michigan. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  7. "Alpena County Courthouse State Historical Marker". Retrieved June 10, 2016 – via Flickr.
  8. "Michigan Markers listing". Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  9. "Alpena County Courthouse, Michigan State Tourist listing". Pure Michigan. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  10. Ashlee, Laura R. (May 27, 2005). Traveling Through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Markers (Revised ed.). Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. p. 420. ISBN 978-0-472-03066-8. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  11. Eckert, Kathryn Bishop (1993). Buildings of Michigan. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 448. ISBN 978-0-19-509379-7.
  12. "83003643, Alpena County Courthouse". National Register of Historic Places. December 8, 1983. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  13. "Alpena County Courthouse". archiplanet.org. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  14. "Comprehensive Plan" (PDF). City of Alpena, Michigan. December 13, 2013. p. 5-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  15. "District Court". County of Alpena. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  16. "Probate Court". County of Alpena. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
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