{"nrhp_refnum":"86003165","name":"Livingston County Courthouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"112 W. Madison","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pontiac","county":"Livingston County","state":"IL","lat":40.87983675800007,"lon":-88.62922372799994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-11-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Second Empire county courthouse at 112 West Madison on the public square in Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois, built 1874-1875 to designs by J.C. Cochrane of Chicago. It is the county's third courthouse.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the courthouse is significant under politics/government because it has served continuously as the administrative and judicial seat of Livingston County since 1875. It is also presented as an excellent example of the Second Empire style in the county, with its architectural features still clearly visible despite later additions.","narrative":"Pontiac's county courthouse sits on the public square at 112 West Madison. It is the third courthouse in Livingston County, built after the second burned on July 4, 1874. Architect J.C. Cochrane of Chicago designed it, and Colwell, Clark and Company of Ottowa built it for roughly $75,000; the Board of Supervisors accepted it on November 5, 1875. The two-story brick building with a raised stone basement follows the Second Empire style, with a mansard roof, four corner towers, a central clock tower, stone quoins, belt courses, modillions and fish-scale roof tiles. The clock was added in 1892. Additions came in about 1920 and in 1936, 1941 and 1942, and the interior was renovated in 1974-1975, yet the original design remains legible. The courthouse has housed county offices and courtrooms continuously since 1875, and in 1880 it hosted a notable murder trial that led to the county's only legal hanging.","period_of_significance":"1874-1936","architect_builder":"J.C. Cochrane of Chicago, Architect; Colwell, Clark & Co. of Ottowa, Contractors","architectural_style":"Second Empire","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as the county government and court building; described as in good condition with regular maintenance.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.215514-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/61/8934/28893461/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/86003165.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003165/78e4d7d77f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003165/78e4d7d77f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"IvoShandor","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pontiac_IL_Livingston_County_Courthouse5.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">IvoShandor</a>, <a href=\"http://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:Pontiac_IL_Livingston_County_Courthouse5.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28893461","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livingston_County_Courthouse_(Illinois)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1866507"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/livingston-county/livingston-county-courthouse-86003165/"}