Michigan's County Courthouses

Gratiot County

64 iTHACA—Atop the many columns of the Gratiot County Courthouse, one might expect ionic capitals. The ionian Sea, after all, is home to the Greek island of ithaca. But only the most ornate Corinthian capitals would do for this structure, where there is no shortage of structural and aesthetic columns to top. Gratiot County is named for Captain Charles Gratiot, a distinguished officer who served during the War of  under William Henry Harrison. in , Gratiot, who eventually attained the rank of brigadier general, built Fort Gratiot at the head of the St. Clair River in present-day Port Huron. He died in , the same year that Gratiot County was organized. Gratiot Center, located naturally in the center of the county, has always been the county seat, though in  it was renamed ithaca for the New York hometown of John Jeffery, an early settler. One account states that, after vigorous debate about the location,“a large concourse of people” went to the appointed spot to place the county stake, with each supervisor striking it into the ground with an axe. Then the county seal was affixed to the stake. in exchange for locating the courthouse on his property , Jeffery built at his own expense a two-story log cabin that the county accepted in autumn . The city built in  a separate one-story wooden office building measuring sixteen by thirty-two feet. Another two-story wooden structure replaced the old courthouse on the same plot of land in  at a cost of $,. The new building, which featured an open cupola, measured thirty-six by sixty feet; its builder was William C. Beckwith. voters approved part of the funding in a close  to  vote. The county board authorized additional funds on the condition that ithaca would grade the grounds. The countywide vote in  for $, for a stone courthouse was a landslide: , to ,. The school district bought the second wooden courthouse, but the building would never serve as a school. it was eventually sold to Archie McCall, who took it apart and used the lumber to build his home at  N. Pine Street. in ,the county broke ground on July  and laid the cornerstone on September . By winter, work stopped as the general contractor demanded more money. The county lost $, and filed suit against the bondsmen, who then countersued. The lawsuits were dropped and construction was completed, with the building dedicated on September , . Total cost, including furnishings, ballooned to $,.. Claire Allen (the cornerstone reads “Clare”) Gratiot County GRATiOT COuNTY 65 of Jackson designed the ornate Beaux-Arts classical building , which measures seventy-six by one hundred twelve feet. The builder was A. W. Mohnke of Grand Rapids, and Jere. Marks of St. louis supervised the construction. The yellow-brown Berea sandstone is ornate in its details, from panels with figurative relief carvings to the spiral-fluted columns near the entrances of the courthouse. The octagonal domed roof stands one hundred twenty feet above the ground. in  a clock by N. Johnson of Manistee was installed in the tower. GRATiOT COuNTY A rotunda anchors the inside of the building, as it is the central point of reference for most interior features. Oak and marble dominate the indoor environment. in the large courtroom, dark wood and a deep blue carpet contrast the cream-colored walls and ceiling. inlaid in the wood behind the judge’s bench are twin wreathed symbols: scales and a law book. The building was nearly lost in , two years after it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. local fire departments saved the building, but the second floor required extensive renovation. in the s more change came—planned this time. A “connector building” was constructed, which offered, among other things, barrier -free entry for all visitors. Additional renovation came with the new construction, which cost over $ million. John Dziurman, the historic architect, collaborated with Giffels Consultants, inc., of Southfield, architects and engineers who served as construction managers. Heartland PCS, inc., of lansing was the general contractor. inanod tothewoodencounterpartinitsolderappendage , the new building hints at a rotunda-centered design with its circular metal banister above a lobby area. Outside, the light-colored brick and gray roof blend with the old building’s visual cues. Alas, there are no new Corinthian columns. But it may be that the predecessor, pregnant with that element, has enough for two. ...