This building is Hamilton County's third courthouse. The first was built in Orville City, the original county seat, in 1870. After five elections, Aurora was chosen as county seat in 1876. To assure the victory, the town constructed the second courthouse here in Central Park Square in 1877. It was destroyed by fire in January 1894.
In March 1894 the county board hired architect William Gray of Lincoln, who had designed several Nebraska courthouses, to provide plans for a new building. Voters approved $60,000 in bonds for its construction and furnishing. The courthouse was completed in 1895.
The Hamilton County Courthouse is built in the County Capitol Style, emulating the shape of the U.S. Capitol. Here a tall spire is used instead of a central dome, and red brick with Colorado sandstone instead of marble. The architectural detailing follows american Round Arch designs made popular by Boston architect H. H. Richardson. The stability of county government is suggested by the building's impressive exterior and by the ornate white oak woodwork inside. The courthouse is listed in The National Register of Historic Places.
[Dedicated] June 24, 1995
| HM Number | HM1IHK |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Nebraska: Nebraska State Historical Society series |
| Tags | |
| Year Placed | 1995 |
| Placed By | Hamilton County Courthouse Centennial Committee and Nebraska State Historical Society |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Tuesday, December 23rd, 2014 at 1:02am PST -08:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 14T E 584057 N 4524577 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 40.86795000, -98.00251667 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 40° 52.077', W 98° 0.151' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 40° 52' 4.62" N, 98° 0' 9.06" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 402 |
| Which side of the road? | Marker is on the right when traveling North |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 1111 13th St, Aurora NE 68818, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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