Glory to be Restored for 150th

Proposed restoration drawing of courthouse tower with window

Marshall County Commissioners embarked on a rather impressive vision for a courthouse that would grace the public square for the next 150 years when they hired Gordon Randall, an architect of Chicago, in 1870.  According to an expert in Indiana courthouses, Marshall County's courthouse was the very first example of a "county capitol" building that shifted the tower to the center of the building.  Up until that time, Indiana courthouses had their bell-clock towers centered on the front or in a front-corner of the building.  Randall, a native of Vermont who providentially landed in Chicago prior to the Great Fire, also designed the courthouse in Benton County with a similar look, but with the traditional tower and Second Empire style (1874).  Randall did extensive work in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Original appearance of the Marshall County Courthouse, taken shortly after construction
(note the tower window and that the clock face is missing its hands)

What many people don't realize is that the internal organization of spaces and some minor exterior changes were undertaken that changed Randall's original design.  Inside, some rooms were reorganized and the basement became offices for the county.  Generally, interior finishes were upgraded with marble and tile, and the building received a new marble staircase that was lit internally with a stained glass skylight.  The architects for the renovation project, which occurred in 1913, were Freyermuth & Maurer, a noted South Bend firm.  The renovations cost $30,000.  During that renovation project, windows in the courtroom (south end of the building) were shortened and stained glass installed.  And it was also during this renovation, we believe, that the building's iconic tower was changed to eliminate windows centered in the portico-like belfry on each side.  Likely due to maintenance, the windows were replaced with louvers to match those flanking the opening.

Argos Republican, August 14, 1913

Most people also would believe that the tower is constructed of stone or iron.  It is not.  It is wood.  Remember, this was a new technology for 1870 and Randall no doubt considered the weight and rocking of the bell when he engineered a most-unusual heavy timber system that includes a tall chamfered post that extends into the spire.

The bell that will become visible once more

In 2018, in response to the need for restoration work on the tower, we applied for funding to complete an engineering analysis and preservation drawings of the building and tower.  Those plans include restoring the original design of the window openings in the tower, which would allow Marshall County residents to once again peer up and see the massive iron bell in the belfry when lit at night.  I personally am excited to see this design feature come back to such an important Indiana landmark as a "first of its kind" and in anticipation of the building's 150th anniversary coming in 2022.  The cost of the building when completed in 1872 was $109,254.  That's about the same amount now anticipated to extend a sprinkler system throughout the roof and tower.  Few buildings can represent the collective will and pride of a people than their public courthouses.  This is the best we have in Marshall County and we owe it to past generations, and future generations, to prepare it to serve another 150 years.

Clockworks level

Clock face

Clockworks