{"nrhp_refnum":"73001504","name":"Madison County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Public Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"London","county":"Madison County","state":"OH","lat":39.88671861200004,"lon":-83.44909443499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-03-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Madison County Courthouse is a Second Empire style government building on Public Square in London, Ohio, built 1890-1892 to designs by architect C. H. Maetzel.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the courthouse is architecturally significant, calling it perhaps the finest Second Empire courthouse in Ohio and one of the best preserved nineteenth century courthouses in the state. It has remained virtually unchanged since construction and retains an original stained glass vaulted ceiling.","narrative":"Madison County Courthouse sits on Public Square in London, Ohio, the seat of Madison County since about 1810. Designed by architect C. H. Maetzel and built by Doerzbach and Decker at a cost of $209,445, it was begun with a cornerstone laid on October 4, 1890, and took two years to complete. The roughly seventy-five-foot-square building rests on a stone foundation and has a slate mansard roof, a bracketed cornice, round-headed second-floor windows and a south tower with Doric columns, four clocks and a statue of justice. Inside, carved columns, paneling and wainscoting surround a vaulted second-floor ceiling made entirely of small stained glass panes. It replaced an earlier Federal style courthouse built before 1815. The nomination values it for its architecture, describing it as perhaps the finest Second Empire courthouse in Ohio and among the best preserved of its century, little altered since it was built.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (built 1890-1892)","architect_builder":"Architect C. H. Maetzel; built by Doerzbach and Decker, contractors","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition; occupied and in use as a county government building, owned by the county.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.198808-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001504.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001504/17e2cac823-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001504/17e2cac823-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London-ohio-courthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London-ohio-courthouse.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"85003212","name":"London Commercial Business Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/ohio/london-commercial-business-historic-district-85003212/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990055","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County_Courthouse_(Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q136158809"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/madison-county/madison-county-courthouse-73001504/"}