Chester County Courthouse (Pennsylvania)
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Chester County Courthouse
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Chester County Courthouse, January 2006
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| Location | 10 North High Street, West Chester, Pennsylvania |
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| Coordinates | 39°57′35.5″N 75°36′18″W / 39.959861°N 75.60500°WCoordinates: 39°57′35.5″N 75°36′18″W / 39.959861°N 75.60500°W |
| Area | ~3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1846 |
| Architect | Thomas U. Walter |
| Architectural style |
Georgian, Greek Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 72001109 |
| Added to NRHP | June 5, 1972 |
The Chester County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located in the county seat of West Chester, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1846 at a cost of $55,346 and was designed by Thomas U. Walter. Walter also designed the dome of the United States Capitol. An addition, designed by T. Roney Williamson and constructed from Indiana Limestone, was added in 1893. Another addition was added in 1966.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 5, 1972, and located in the West Chester Downtown Historic District. It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in July 1958.
The first courthouse to serve Chester County was the 1724 Chester Courthouse in Chester, and it is now listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.
Following the transfer of the county seat from Chester, now located in Delaware County, to West Chester in 1786, the means of judicial law were conducted in a courthouse built in 1786, characterized as "miserable specime[n] of architecture". When it became apparent that the existing courthouse was inadequate in size,grand juries and several petitioners proposed a new courthouse to be erected in 1845, located at 10 North High Street. Though some individuals demurred, claiming that the proposed courthouse would be a burden upon taxpayers, local officials supported the project. Architect Thomas U. Walter was commissioned to design the courthouse. Ground was broken in early 1846, and the cornerstone was placed on 4 July; the courthouse was completed in late 1847, with the total cost of the project reaching $55,345.98. After construction finished, the building gradually filled with items and individuals being transferred to the new offices; by December, the courthouse was fully in use. The courthouse, since then, was regularly used as a rendezvous for residents; during the Civil War, "rousing patriotic meetings" were held, and speeches famous individuals orated in the building.
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