{"nrhp_refnum":"80001231","name":"Seminole County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Courthouse Sq.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Donalsonville","county":"Seminole County","state":"GA","lat":31.041872709000074,"lon":-84.88470092099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Economics","Law","Politics/Government","Architecture","Communications"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick and limestone county courthouse on Courthouse Square in Donalsonville, Seminole County, Georgia, built in 1922 and designed by William J. Chase.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the most outstanding building in Donalsonville, a town of about 3,500 people. It is described as one of the state's more outstanding 1920s courthouses because of its plan and its interior and exterior detailing. Its largely unaltered courtroom and continued use as a courthouse also support its significance.","narrative":"Seminole County's courthouse sits on an oval block at Courthouse Square in Donalsonville, Georgia. Completed in 1922 to designs by William J. Chase and built by the Opelika Construction Company, it is a two-story brick building with limestone trim and a central core flanked by wings. A projecting Ionic portico with two-story columns carries an entablature bearing the building's name, a balustrade and a clock, flanked by Latin inscriptions. Round-arched openings, foliate designs, swagged garlands and sculpted Indian heads add detail. Inside, the vaults were enlarged and fire doors added to the hallways, but the courtroom remains unaltered, with a small pediment behind the judge's bench, medallions bearing Roman numerals for the Ten Commandments, plaster walls and original ceiling fans. A renovation in 1978-79 refinished the spectator benches. The building was recognized as the most outstanding structure in Donalsonville and one of the state's finer 1920s courthouses, valued for its plan and its detailing.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"William J. Chase (architect/builder); Opelika Construction Co. (contractor)","architectural_style":"Beaux Arts: Classical","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in good condition; renovated 1978-79 and still used as the county courthouse.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.175944-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/80001231.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001231/81f2b79470-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001231/81f2b79470-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Michael Rivera","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seminole_County_Courthouse_from_parking_lot.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Rivera</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seminole_County_Courthouse_from_parking_lot.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"02000190","name":"Donalsonville Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/donalsonville-historic-district-02000190/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93206570","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_County_Courthouse_(Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q30600839"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/seminole-county/seminole-county-courthouse-80001231/"}