Kosciusko County Courthouse
Recognition of the Kosciusko County Courthouse renovation was deemed important by the Kosciusko County Historical Society. It is the county’s best known historical landmark, due to its central location within both Kosciusko County and its county seat, Warsaw, and a fine example of Second Empire architectural style while serving as center of Kosciusko County Government. The concern of county officials for this invaluable property sends a strong message of the need for preservation of outstanding public and private buildings.
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Construction of the new courthouse began in 1881 and was finished in 1884. The cornerstone was laid on May 25, 1882. It would take sixteen fully loaded semitrailers to haul all of the iron in the building. If the bricks were set out end to end they would extend about 85 miles. Enough plaster was used in the building to cover an entire football field. A path all the way to Leesburg could be made with the Indiana Olit limestone. The architect was T. J. Tolan and Joe Baker was the superintendent of construction. The tower was built by Joseph Marshall and all of the interior work was done by G. Hahne. The total cost of the courthouse was $197,799.65, by today’s standards, a real bargain.
Length: 154 feet East to West
Width: 113 feet 7 inches N to S
Height: 152 feet
Limestone: 32,000 cubic feet
Bricks: 2,700,000
Iron: 678,000 pound
Plaster: 9,000 square yards
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Memberships are available for the Kosciusko County Historical Society. We’d love to invite you to purchase a membership with us and learn about our history!