Logan County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Logan County Courthouse, on Public Square in Bellefontaine, is a two-story cut-stone building completed in 1871. Alexander Koehler designed it in the Second Empire style, and construction ran from 1870 to 1871 at a cost of $105,398. It replaced an earlier courthouse built early in the nineteenth century on the same site, which had become too small for the courts and county records. The building measures roughly eighty by fifty feet and has a mansard roof of multicolored slate, round-arched windows, and a tower on the west side with a belfry, four clock faces and a six-sided metal dome. A statue of Justice sits in a recess above the west entrance, which has a rusticated arch, Doric pilasters and iron gates. The nomination describes it as an excellent example of a nineteenth-century Ohio courthouse that has been carefully preserved and remains in excellent condition and in county government use.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an excellent example of a nineteenth-century Ohio courthouse, noted for its architecture. It is the second courthouse on the site, built because the county needed more space for courts and records. It has been carefully preserved and remains in excellent condition.
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 73001497, listed June 4, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Public Sq., Bellefontaine |
|---|---|
| County | Logan County |
| Listed | June 4, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001497 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (built 1870-1871) |
| Architect / builder | Alexander Koehler (architect) |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is stated as excellent and unaltered on its original site; in use as a county government building and described as having served the county's needs well. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Within district | Downtown Bellefontaine Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.36069, -83.75911 (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 73001497.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2493280
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.