Kenton Courthouse Square Historic District

Kenton's courthouse square and the blocks around it form a historic downtown district of about 60 buildings, built between 1851 and 1939. The area has served as the town's center of commerce and government since Kenton was founded in 1833. Most buildings are two- to four-story brick structures, many with ornate cornices and hoodmolds, in Victorian Italianate and Victorian Gothic styles. The focal point is the stone Hardin County Courthouse, built 1914-16 in Second Renaissance Revival style. Other landmarks include the 1866 Brunson Building, the 1872 Dugan Hotel, the 1877 Masonic Block, the 1906 Sullivan Block, the Kenton Depot, and the 1929 Frontier Theater. The arrival of the railroad in 1846 encouraged the construction of substantial commercial blocks, hotels, and fraternal halls, often built by local businessmen. Some storefronts have been altered and a few modern buildings intrude, but the district keeps a largely cohesive 19th-century character and remains an active commercial center.