Lucas County Courthouse and Jail
Why it's listed
Completed in 1896, the Lucas County Courthouse and County Jail occupy a six-acre square in downtown Toledo. Architect David L. Stine designed both buildings, and Dun, Perley & Co. built them. The courthouse is a steel-framed building faced in Berea sandstone and modeled on the courthouse at Buffalo, New York. It has a central block with two wings, a facade of three Roman arches, paired Corinthian columns, a pediment, and a low dome ringed by Doric columns. Inside, the corridors had Italian marble and mosaic floors. The jail and sheriff's residence, paid for with surplus courthouse funds, is an L-shaped building with an administrative wing and a jail wing, rusticated stone, and a bracketed cornice. Albert Neukom supplied the stone for both. The pair is recognized as an excellent example of late nineteenth century public architecture and as a typical courthouse square at the center of the city. County officials later sought to demolish the jail, and the sheriff's residence was slated for reuse as offices.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls the courthouse and jail excellent examples of late nineteenth century public architecture. The six-acre square, with grass and radiating sidewalks, is typical of American courthouse squares and serves as a focal point of downtown Toledo. The two stone buildings harmonize well together.
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 73002295, listed May 11, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Courthouse Sq. and 810-814 Jackson, Toledo |
|---|---|
| County | Lucas County |
| Listed | May 11, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73002295 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century; specific date 1896 |
| Architect / builder | David L. Stine (architect); Dun, Perley & Co. (contractors); stone furnished by Albert Neukom |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as excellent and unaltered at nomination. Later papers say the county planned to demolish the jail, and a 1978-79 grant application describes the sheriff's residence/administration building as the surviving part of the jail, to be reused as county office space. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Within district | Toledo Central Business Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.65533, -83.53702 (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 73002295.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14716642
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.