Property Record
800 CLERMONT ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | LANGLADE COUNTY COURTHOUSE |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | LANGLADE COUNTY COURTHOUSE |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 22050 |
| Location (Address): | 800 CLERMONT ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Langlade |
| City: | Antigo |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1905 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | 2000 |
| Survey Date: | 1976 |
| Historic Use: | courthouse |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brownstone |
| Architect: | J.H. JEFFERS (SUPERVISING ARCHITECT); FRANK W. KINNEY & MENNO S. DETWEILER; Ron Hansche-2000 |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Langlade County Courthouse |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 7/25/1977 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | 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. PEDIMENTED SLIGHTLY PROJECTING CENTRAL PAVILIONS W/DORIC COLUMNS & PILASTERS. MOULDED AND MODILIONED EAVES OVER WIDE CORNICES. ROUGH CUT STONE FOUNDATION TOPPED BY SMOOTH WALLS W/CNR QUOINS. LARGE 3 STORY CENTRAL DOME W/FINIAL AND DORIC COLUMNS & PILASTERS. A glass-walled addition was constructed in 2000. By the time the citizens of Langlade County decided to replace their original modest courthouse with this imposing building, the area had been transformed from a boreal forest to a cutover land dotted with potato and dairy farms and cheese factories. As logging companies sold their holdings, many European immigrants were attracted by the availability of farmland and eked out a living from the hard-scrabble soil. The Langlade County Courthouse symbolizes the promise the land held out to these immigrants at the dawn of the twentieth century. Architects from Minneapolis designed the brownstone Beaux-Arts Classical building. The county supervisors hoped for an attractive building, but most of all, they wanted a frugal one. Presumably the Port Wing brownstone used here turned out to be the least costly, and yet it created a handsome reddish-brown landmark. Rock-faced brownstone forms the first of three stories, and smooth stones with rusticated quoins at the corners compose the upper walls. In 2000, HGM Architects of Oshkosh added a modern glass-walled addition to the rear. The central, projecting pavilion features symmetrical stairways that curve to an arched entry at the second level. Above this, Doric columns support a large triangular pediment. An ornate dome atop a square base rises above the hipped roof. Arched, diamond-pane sashes light the base, which is embellished by engaged colonnettes and knobbed finials. Inside, murals along the top floor’s south wall and in the courtroom depict liberty and justice. "Antigo's Landmarks" notes that the County of New was established in 1879 with the name later changed to Langlade to honor Charles de Langlade, a fur trader and military leader sometimes called "the father of Wisconsin." The cost of this courthouse, the second in Antigo, was $71,800. Covenant/Easement: Expires 8-26-2054. Effective 8-26-2004. A 'covenant file' exists for this property. It may contain additional information such as photos, drawings and correspondence. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Tomorrow River Times, June 23, 1977. ANTIGO DAILY JOURNAL 5/24/1996. ANTIGO DAILY JOURNAL 5/30/1996. Antigo Daily Journal 5/19/2004. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. Hermolin, Joe. “Antigo’s Landmarks”, Langlade County Historical Society. Undated. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |