{"nrhp_refnum":"81000449","name":"Perry County Courthouse and Jail","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main and Brown Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New Lexington","county":"Perry County","state":"OH","lat":39.714039306000075,"lon":-82.20824750399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-10-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A county courthouse and a county jail at Main and Brown Streets in New Lexington, Perry County, Ohio, built 1886-1887 and designed by Columbus architect Joseph Warren Yost. The jail stands directly behind the courthouse, separated only by an alley.","why_significant":"The nomination cites nearly 100 years of service as the seat of Perry County government. The courthouse is described as an outstanding example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, especially for a rural setting. Both buildings were designed by Joseph Warren Yost, a leading architect of his day.","narrative":"Perry County's courthouse and jail occupy the corner of Main and Brown Streets in the heart of New Lexington's business district. The courthouse is a massive three-story building of rock-faced stone trimmed in lighter stone, giving a polychrome effect. A 40-foot, two-stage clock tower with corner tourelles and an arcaded belfry rises from its center, and round-arched entries reflect the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The three-story brick jail sits directly behind it, with a restrained round-arched entry bay and a wall dormer inscribed \"County Jail.\" Construction began in 1886 and finished the following year, after the county seat moved from Somerset to New Lexington following a long dispute and a public subscription drive. Columbus architect Joseph Warren Yost designed both buildings; Hibbert & Schaus were the builders. Yost's work included no fewer than eight other Ohio courthouses. The buildings have served the county continuously since then.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific date 1887)","architect_builder":"J. W. Yost, architect; Hibbert & Schaus, builders","architectural_style":"Richardsonian Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Both buildings are listed as publicly owned and occupied; the interior of the courthouse is somewhat altered but retains its original multi-colored tile floor.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.150514-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/81000449.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000449/9f4291015f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000449/9f4291015f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Perry_County_Courthouse_in_New_Lexington_from_southwest.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Perry_County_Courthouse_in_New_Lexington_from_southwest.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990876","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_County_Courthouse_(Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14716781"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/perry-county/perry-county-courthouse-and-jail-81000449/"}