Delaware County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Delaware County's courthouse, at North Sandusky and Central in the city of Delaware, Ohio, is a two-story brick building with a cupola, built between 1868 and 1870. County commissioners hired architect R. N. Jones, and the project cost $80,000. It replaced a small Greek Revival courthouse put up around 1815, which sufficed for decades because the county grew slowly. By 1860 the population had risen to about 23,000. The building is High Victorian Italianate, with segmentally arched first-floor windows, round-arched second-floor windows, pilasters and arcading, a stone belt course, and white-painted hood molds over the windows. Paired wooden brackets support the eaves, and a wooden lantern topped by a statue of Justice crowns the roof, edged with ornamental iron cresting. The interior is plain, with one open-well stairway. It has housed all county offices and courtrooms since 1870 and was judged an excellent example of its style.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an excellent example of High Victorian Italianate architecture. It also marks the second courthouse of a county that grew slowly, and it has housed all county offices and courtrooms since its completion in 1870.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 73001429, listed May 22, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N. Sandusky St. and Central Ave., Delaware |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | May 22, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001429 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (built 1868-1870) |
| Architect / builder | R. N. Jones |
| Architectural style | High Victorian Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition, occupied and in government use; it has remained the home of all county offices and courtrooms since 1870. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.30180, -83.06820 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 73001429.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14716401
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.