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414 W MAIN ST

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Property Record

414 W MAIN ST

Historic Name:
PIERCE COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Other Name:
PIERCE COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Reference Number:
16352

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Property Location

Location (Address)

414 W MAIN ST

County

Pierce

City/Village

Ellsworth

Township

Unincorporated community

Town

Range

Direction

Section

Quarter Section

Quarter Quarter Section

Property Features

Year Built

1905

Additions

Survey Date

1981

Historic Use

courthouse

Architectural Style

Neoclassical/Beaux Arts

Structural System

Wall Material

Limestone

Architect

Buechner And Orth

Other Buildings On Site

Demolished

No

Demolished Date

Additional Comments

A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. MARBLE INTERIOR. MURALS IN ROTUNDA. Additions to the building include a three story brick stair tower constructed in the 1970s and a one story brick jail. Prior to legislative action in 1853, Pierce Co. was part of larger St. Croix Co., which also included the future county of Polk. At the time that the separate counties were established, it was stipulated that the county seat, originally at Prescott, might be changed by popular vote. In 1861, citizens exercised this option by moving the government to Ellsworth, a more central location than either Prescott or River Falls. The first courthouse in Ellsworth proved unfit and a new one was built by private subscription at which governmental activities took place for several years. The decision to erect a jail resulted in the construction of another county courthouse as well. By the turn of the century, the existing 1870 building seemed inappropriate to the image and needs of the growing county and the present building was begun in 1905. It was a fireproof building with ample rooms for offices and vaults.

Bibliographic References

ELLSWORTH PIERCE COUNTY HERALD 8/30/1995. Cornerstone. Eau Claire Leader Telegram 10/10/1979. "History of Pierce County and Spring Valley, Wisconsin", Allan C. Brown, n.d., from Pierce County's Heritage, Pierce County Historical Society, 1971. History of the St. Croix Valley, Augustus B. Easton, H.C. Cooper, Jr. and Company, Chicago, 1909, pp. 496-501. Pierce County Herald, 12/29/1904. Ellsworth Pierce County Herald 3/27/2002.

National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings

National/State Register Listing Name

Pierce County Courthouse

National Register Listing Date

Mar 09, 1982

State Register Listing Date

Jan 01, 1989

Contributing

courthouse Neoclassical/Beaux Arts

Pierce
County

Ellsworth
Community

1900-1909
Decade

National and State Register Listing

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Architecture & History Inventory

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Attribution

For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.

The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.

For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.