Property Record
117 E 5TH ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Bayfield County Courthouse |
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| Other Name: | BAYFIELD COUNTY COURTHOUSE |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 1472 |
| Location (Address): | 117 E 5TH ST |
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| County: | Bayfield |
| City: | Washburn |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1894 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2008 |
| Historic Use: | courthouse |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brownstone |
| Architect: | ORFF AND JORALEMANN (A); John Halloran, contractor |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Bayfield County Courthouse |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 1/17/1975 |
| 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, Division of Historic Preservation. MASSIVE NEOCLASSICAL BLDG W/DOMED CUPOLA & TETRA STYLE PORTICO. PORTICO WITH UNFLUTED CORINTHIAN COLUMNS. CENTRAL PALLADIAN WINDOW AT ENTRY. CNR QUOINS AND RUSTICATED GROUND STORY AND BASEMENT. LARGE MODERN TWO-STORY ADDITION AT REAR AND TO THE SIDE. Construction began in 1894. The building was completed in 1896 for a cost of $31,737. One of the proudest achievements in the new courthouse was its fine telephone system. Every office had its own phone. If you wanted to speak with the County Judge, three short rings would reach his Honor. The Registrar of Deeds required two short and one long ring. In the 1892 election, citizens voted to move the County seat from the City of Bayfield to the City of Washburn. This became known as the "county seat controversy." Emotions and opinions ran high, but in the end, Washburn won by 608 votes: 1755 to 1147. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Eckert, Kathryn. Sandstone Buildings in the Lake Superior Region. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000. DATESTONE HAS DATE AND THE NAME OF THE ARCHITECTS INCISED INTO IT. Washburn Heritage Preservation Association. Wood, Stone, and Water: Washburn Walking Tour. Bayfield: Roslyn Nelson, 2005, P. 24-25. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |