Putnam County Courthouse
Why it's listed
Putnam County Courthouse, on Courthouse Square in Ottawa, Ohio, is a two-story stone building completed in 1913 to a design by architects Frank Packard and Ralph Snyder. It measures roughly forty by seventy-five feet and has four identical facades. The rusticated first floor has arcaded window panels, while the second floor features paired engaged columns, alternating curved and triangular pediments, a decorated frieze, a denticulated cornice and a gently pitched red tile hipped roof. Inside, central hallways, a west-side stairway with a large stained glass window, and the original offices and courtrooms remain intact. The county seat moved to Ottawa after a fire destroyed the earlier courthouse at Kalida in 1866. County commissioners later wanted additional space and commissioned this building, begun in 1912. It was listed because it is regarded as the finest Beaux Arts county courthouse in Ohio, preserved in unaltered, excellent condition and still serving county government.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it without question the finest Beaux Arts county courthouse in Ohio. Its original exterior and interior are intact and in excellent condition, and it has been meticulously maintained by the county. It also reflects the county seat's move from Kalida to Ottawa after the 1866 fire.
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 74001608, listed May 3, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Courthouse Sq., Ottawa |
|---|---|
| County | Putnam County |
| Listed | May 3, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74001608 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century (built 1912-1913) |
| Architect / builder | Frank Packard and Ralph Snyder (architects) |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition, unaltered, occupied and in use as county government building; county-owned and meticulously maintained. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.01979, -84.04623 (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 74001608.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7262327
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.