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Lapeer
County Courthouse
Courthouse Square, Lapeer |
Our crown jewel, the Lapeer County Courthouse, was built in 1846
and is the oldest continuously active courthouse
in the State of Michigan, one of the ten oldest
in the United States, and one of the fifty most
significant buildings in the State of Michigan.
Alvin N. Hart, one of Lapeer’s
first settlers, built the Lapeer County Courthouse.
Born in Connecticut in 1804,
Hart came to Michigan in 1831 and platted the
village of Lapeer two years later. He also served
as sheriff
and as a member of both houses of the state legislature. Although the date in the pediment, 1839, marks the construction
of the county's first courthouse, this building was erected
in 1845 - 1846 and bought by the county in 1853.
It is an impressive
Greek Revival structure. The two-story exterior is of native
white pine, supported by a brick foundation. The facade of
the full-height portico has four fluted Doric
columns supporting
the pediment. A three-tiered tower rises at the rear of the
building.
The Lapeer County Courthouse
is now the oldest courthouse in
Michigan that serves its original purpose. It remains a fine
example of the dignified Doric style.
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