Allen County - American Courthouses

Allen County is named for Ethan Allen , who was a soldier in the Green Mountain Boys who fought in the Indian Wars and the American Revolution.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Putnam County

E – Hancock County and Hardin County

S – Auglaize County

W – Van Wert County

Created: March 1, 1820

County Seat:

Lima 1820 – present

County Courthouse – Lima

Location: 301 North Main Street / West North Street

Built: 1882 – 1884

Style: Second Empire and Victorian

Architect: George H Maetzel

Contractor: George B F Cooper (superintendent).

Description: The building faces east and is a three-story brown sandstone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Lima. The east front has a large central arch with stairs rising to the first story. Each corner of the building has a mansard roof. The south side has a portico rising to the second story. On the center of the roof is a square stone cupola rising to a clock and small dome at the top. The mansard roof is sloped. In the interior is a grand central staircase. There are murals, stained glass, scagliola walls, decorative ceilings and polychrome tile floors. The County Court of Common Pleas courtrooms are located on the second story. The building houses the County Court of Common Pleas and County Probate Court. The building was renovated in 2017 by K2Design of Cleveland.

See: The architect, George H Maetzel, also designed the courthouses in Madison County and Shelby County.

County Justice Center – Lima

Location: 333 North Main Street / West Wayne Street

Built: 1990 – 1992

Style: Modern

Architect: Lorenc & Williams Incorporated and Phillips Swages Associates

Contractor: Peterson Construction Company

Description: The building faces east and is a five story stone, concrete and glass structure. The building is located in the center of Lima on the north side of the courthouse. The main entrance is located at the northeast corner of the building. The roof line is flat. The building is connected to the courthouse on the south side. The building houses the County Court of Common Pleas – Juvenile.

History: The county was created in 1820 and Lima was selected as the county seat. The first courthouses was a two story log structure built in 1832. The second courthouse was a two story brick and stone structure designed by Orlando Boughton and built in 1842 at a cost of $13,325. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1882 to 1884 at a cost of $360,000. The County Justice Center was constructed in 1990 to 1992.

Ohio Court of Appeals – Lima

See: For the Third Appellate District Court of Appeals see Ohio Court of Appeals – Lima