{"nrhp_refnum":"74001228","name":"Cortland County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Courthouse Park","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cortland","county":"Cortland County","state":"NY","lat":42.598863874000074,"lon":-76.17664564599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-10-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Indiana limestone county courthouse built in 1924 within a three-acre park in Cortland, Cortland County, New York. It is topped by a prominent cupola and shaped like a Latin cross.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is locally significant as public architecture modeled on the U.S. Capitol, designed by noted architect James Riley Gordon. Its cupola and interior rotunda reflect the period's taste for grand public buildings and for copying a national model locally. It is the county's third courthouse, built to consolidate scattered county offices.","narrative":"Cortland County Courthouse, completed in 1924, is a three-story building of smooth-cut Indiana limestone set in a three-acre park in Cortland, New York. Laid out as a Latin cross, it shows strong Beaux Arts Classical influence. A Doric-columned balcony marks the north entrance, and a cupola on an octagonal base with twenty-four Corinthian columns crowns the roof. Inside, a rotunda rises to a coffered plaster dome with a stained glass skylight, and marble wainscoting runs throughout. A circular limestone war monument stands in front of the entrance. It was the county's third courthouse, built after the old Normal School burned and the Board of Supervisors bought the site for $4,750, with the aim of bringing scattered county offices under one roof. The supervisors hired James Riley Gordon, a designer of many courthouses. Its cupola and rotunda imitate the U.S. Capitol, reflecting the period's taste for grand public buildings.","period_of_significance":"1924","architect_builder":"James Riley Gordon (architect)","architectural_style":"Beaux Arts Classicism","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition, occupied, and in government use; the original slate roof was replaced with asphalt shingles in 1969.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.444719-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/74001228.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001228/89311da0d5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001228/89311da0d5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Calvin Beale","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cortland_County_Courthouse_(Built_1922-1923),_Cortland,_New_York.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Calvin Beale</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cortland_County_Courthouse_(Built_1922-1923),_Cortland,_New_York.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317133","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortland_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5173343"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/cortland-county/cortland-county-courthouse-74001228/"}