Paw Paw City Hall

The Paw Paw City Hall is a government building located at 111 East Michigan Avenue in Paw Paw, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1]

Paw Paw City Hall
Location111 E. Michigan Ave., Paw Paw, Michigan
Coordinates42°13′5″N 85°53′29″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1842 (1842)
Built byReuben E. Churchill, Stafford Godfrey, & Henry W. Rhodes
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No.72000657[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 21, 1972
Designated MSHSDecember 19, 1971[2]

History
Paw Paw City Hall c. 1880

Van Buren County was originally platted in 1829, and in 1837, the Board of Supervisors chose Paw Paw as the county seat.[3] County business was conducted in schools and private buildings for a few years, until the county decided to construct its own building.[4] About $2900 was allocated to contractors Reuben E. Churchill, Stafford Godfrey, and Henry W. Rhodes.[4] Construction began on this building in 1842 at the site of the current Van Buren County Courthouse, and the building was occupied in 1845.[2][3]

In 1900, it was decided to construct a new courthouse for the county,[3] and this structure was moved from its original site to the current location.[2] It was first used as a feed store,[4] then as a youth center during the Great Depression, and is now used as Paw Paw's city hall.[2]

Description

The Paw Paw City Hall is a two-story temple-style Greek Revival structure clad in clapboard with a gable roof.[2] The front facade features a portico with six columns sheltering a double-door front entrance with a Palladian window above.[2]

The building once had a classical cupola on a square base.[2] atop the roof. The cupola was removed in stages, and is now entirely absent.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Van Buren County Courthouse". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  3. "Van Buren County Courthouse Complex". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  4. John Fedynsky (2010), Michigan's County Courthouses, University of Michigan Press, pp. 176–178, ISBN 9780472117284
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