Local news- Press Release
Cass County North Dakota - Cass County Courthouse History 19 January 2024 ( news )
Cass County , state North Dakota ( By Press Release office)
Jan 19,2024
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At a meeting held on January 13 , 1874 , Cass County Commissioners ordered a special election to be held February 14th to vote on the question of building a courthouse and jail , and the issuance of $10 , 000 bonds for that purpose . This special election was held at the house of F . Pinkham and resulted with 123 votes for the proposition and 56 against .
On August 4 , 1874 , the contract for the erection of the new courthouse and jail was awarded to Whitbeck , Potter & Co . of Minneapolis for the sum $9 , 773 . The first courthouse was completed by the end of the year and located at the present site of the Northern Pacific Depot . A total of $15 , 000 was spent on completing and furnishing the building which served as both courthouse and jail . The building was later moved in 1886 to First Avenue South between 7th and 8th Streets and used as a YMCA and then as a boarding house until it was torn down in 1967 .
The second courthouse was built in 1884 and its estimated cost was $50 , 000 . It was designed by the architectural firm Daniels & Proctor . The building was under renovation when it burned down on November 17 , 1904 .
The current Cass County Courthouse was built on the same site as the second courthouse . The original portion of the courthouse opened for business on July 31 , 1906 . The original building was 70 feet by 109 feet and was built at a cost of $151 , 000 . It was designed by architect Charles E . Bell in a classical revival style and was built with as little wood as possible in keeping with its fireproof construction . It has three floors with a small basement area , most of which is crawl space . The interior courthouse mural paintings were the work of Herman Boerth and a Milwaukee artist known only as G . Peter .
In 1981 construction on the north addition to the courthouse was started and was completed over several years as funding became available . Like the original courthouse the north addition is three floors but with a full basement . Total cost of the north addition was $1 . 4 million .
1985 brought about the start of construction of the south addition to the courthouse . This addition is the same height as the rest of the courthouse but has four floors instead of three with a full basement . Cost of the south addition was $2 . 3 million .
Construction on the west addition to the courthouse began in 2011 and was completed in October 2012 . This addition was built on the site of the old county jail and sheriff’s residence . Features of the new addition include 72 , 000 square feet of space which is utilized among several new courtrooms , various offices & a secured area to move prisoners within . A welcomed feature of the west addition was the underground parking for judges , county department heads and official vehicles .
In addition , a skyway was constructed over 10th Street to allow for easier passage of county employees and the public between the main courthouse and the annex building , which houses human services and extension services . The cost of the west addition was $16 million .
The Cass County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22 , 1983 , and placed on the State Register on May 2 , 1986 .
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