Norman County Courthouse

The Norman County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Ada, Minnesota. It is actually the second building in Ada used by the county government.  In 1883 the first offices were in a two story building on the NE corner of the block the current courthouse sits on.  The county rented the space from the village of Ada for $430/yr.[2]  After the new courthouse was built, the old building was moved three blocks north.

Norman County Courthouse
Norman County Courthouse
Location16 E.3rd Ave., Ada, Minnesota
Coordinates47°17′55″N 96°30′46″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1904 (1904)
ArchitectOmeyer & Thori
Architectural styleRomanesque
NRHP reference No.83000923[1]
Added to NRHPMay 9, 1983

This kicked off a three year row with Twin Valley determining which town will be the county seat.  At the time, Mahnomen County (to the east of Norman County) didn’t exist so Twin Valley was closer to the center of the county.  Two petitions and one vote later, Ada won the challenge.  In 1906 it became a moot point when Mahnomen County was formed, shrinking Norman County and making Ada the geographic center.[3]

The new courthouse was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style by Omeyer & Thori and completed in 1904.  That firm and their partners have a number of their buildings in the Upper Midwest listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Coming all the way from St. Paul, Olaf Swenson was the contractor and the new building was built for $60,637.[2]

Norman County Courthouse Soldiers' Memorial

A Soldiers’ Memorial was erected and dedicated on Memorial Day 1926.  The monument consists of a bronze statue of a World War I soldier standing on a granite base on which is fastened a bronze tablet with the words:

"Lest We Forget

In the Memory of the Norman County

sons who gave their lives

in the World War

1917-1919

This monument is dedicated"

Since its erection two more tablets have been installed, honoring those who gave their lives in World War II, Korea & Vietnam.

In 1975 a 50’x80’ addition was built on the south side of the original 90’x90’ building.

The Norman County Courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983[4]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. The First 100 Years...The Minnesota State Bar Association. Minnesota State Bar Association. 1983. p. 166.
  3. Johnson, Lenora (1976). Under Prairie Skies. pp. 47, 48.
  4. "Asset Detail". npgallery.nps.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
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