Livingston County Courthouse (Illinois)

The Livingston County Courthouse, listed on the NRHP with the number 86003165 is a historic building and primary legal center of Livingston County in Pontiac, Illinois, where the county seat is located.

History

The current Livingston County Courthouse is the third building to bear the name. The construction of the present courthouse began in late 1874 and was completed at the end of the following year. The building was constructed after the previous building on July 4, 1874 was become a prey to the flames in a fire. The plan for the new building was chosen among ten proposals submitted. The County Board of Supervisors stated in the selection is that the selected project, although costs more money, [but] was the only one in terms of size, quality of fire safety and steadfastness will fulfill the purpose and indeed in the sense of taste and elegance of each other far surpassed. However ruled in 1915 the author of The County Archives of the State of Illinois, that the building was hardly fireproof.

Architecture

John C. Cochrane, an architect from Chicago designed the Livingston County Courthouse in the Second Empire style. The building is symmetrical and rectangular. It is two stories high and at each of the four corners there is a tower. A central clock tower was added in 1892. The architecture of the building makes use of quoins and cornices. The mansard roof is covered with patterned tiles. The height from the foundation to the roof gutter is about 17 m, the bell tower sits at a height of 21 m.

Historical Significance

The Livingston County Courthouse was taken on November 19, 1986 in the National Register of Historic Places because it met the criteria relating to enrollment on the importance of politics and administration as well as its architecture. The building is the seat of the court administration in Livingston County since 1875 and it is an outstanding local example of the architectural style of the Second Empire.