Todd County Courthouse
| Todd County Courthouse | |
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Todd County Courthouse, Sheriff's House, and Jail
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The Todd County Courthouse from the northwest
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| Location | 215 1st Avenue South, Long Prairie, Minnesota |
| Coordinates | 45°58′21.3″N 94°51′40.7″W / 45.972583°N 94.861306°WCoordinates: 45°58′21.3″N 94°51′40.7″W / 45.972583°N 94.861306°W |
| Area | 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) |
| Built | 1883 (courthouse), 1900 (sheriff's house & jail) |
| Architect | Charles H. Sparks, P.J. Pauley & Sons |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP Reference # | 85001986 |
| Designated | September 5, 1985 |
The Todd County Courthouse is the seat of government for Todd County in Long Prairie, Minnesota, United States. The hilltop courthouse was built in 1883 and is fronted by a street-level stone entryway and retaining wall constructed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration. Additional modern buildings are set into the hill to the side and rear of the courthouse. To the southwest stood a residence for the sheriff with an attached jailhouse, built in 1900. They were extant in 1985 when the complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Todd County Courthouse, Sheriff's House, and Jail, but have been demolished since. The property was listed for having state-level significance in the themes of architecture and politics/government. It was nominated for being a good example of an Italianate public building and a long-serving home of the county government.
The Todd County Courthouse has a footprint of approximately 60 by 80 feet (18 by 24 m) with an additional extension to the rear. It rises three stories and is topped with a cupola. The foundation is split fieldstone and the walls are cream-colored brick.
The courthouse stands atop a hill in the center of a city block. A fieldstone retaining wall creates a border on two sides. Mid-block on the north side is a fieldstone entryway which leads into the courthouse basement and provides a double stairway up to the hilltop.
The sheriff's house and jail was a two-story brick building with a hip roof. The jail wing had a separate entry and was also attached to the courthouse.
The 1883 courthouse and 1938 WPA entry
One of the modern annexes built into the foot of the courthouse hill
The 1883 Todd County Courthouse is the third to stand on the same site. The county was organized in 1867 and government business was conducted in various private homes until a frame building atop a prominent hill in Long Prairie was donated for use as a courthouse in 1870. It was replaced three years later with a purpose-built two-story frame courthouse.
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