Blackford County Courthouse | |
 Southwest corner of Blackford County Courthouse | |
  | |
| Location | Off IN 3, Hartford City, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°27′6″N 85°22′5″W / 40.45167°N 85.36806°W |
| Area | 1.5 acres (0.6 ha) |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | LaBelle & French |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Part of | Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District (ID06000522[1]) |
| NRHP reference No. | 80000053[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 11, 1980 |
| Designated CP | June 21, 2006 |
The Blackford County Courthouse is a historic building located in Hartford City, Indiana, the county seat of Blackford County. The building stands on a public square in the city's downtown commercial district. Built during the Indiana Gas Boom, most of the construction work was completed in 1894. The current courthouse was preceded by another courthouse building on the same site, which was declared inadequate by a judge in 1893, and was torn down. Following the condemnation of the original courthouse, the county's judicial activities were temporarily located in a building across the street.
The current courthouse was designed by architects Arthur LaBelle and Burt L. French, who were from nearby Marion, Indiana. The building's architectural style is Richardsonian Romanesque, which was popular during the second half of the 19th century. The large corner tower of the building is the tallest structure in the downtown commercial district. Considered "the county's most outstanding landmark", the structure is often pictured on web sites associated with the area, and continues to house local government over 100 years after its construction.[2][Note 1]
In addition to the courthouse building, the buildings around the courthouse square are also historic in nature and considered contributing properties to the Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District. The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980[7] and was included as a contributing property to the historic district in 2006. Most of the buildings in the Courthouse Square Historic District continue to have facades that look similar to their original design. Although the interior has been remodeled, the exterior of the courthouse also retains its original appearance.
- ^ a b "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
- ^ Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana 2005, p. 12
- ^ "Hartford City, Indiana". Hartford City, Indiana. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
- ^ "A History of the Blackford County Courthouse". Blackford County Historical Society. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
- ^ "Welcome to Blackford County". Blackford County. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
- ^ "News Times". Hartford City News Times. p. 1. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
- ^ Beetem 1980, p. 1 section 2
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