LaSalle County - American Courthouses

LaSalle County is named for Robert de LaSalle, a French explorer who navigated the length of the Mississippi River and claimed the Louisiana Territory for France.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Lee County and DeKalb County

E – Kendall County and Grundy County

S – Livingston County and Woodford County

W – Marshall County, Putnam County, Bureau County and Lee County

Created: January 15, 1831

County Seat:

Ottawa 1831 – present

County Courthouse – Ottawa

Location: 119 West Madison Street / La Salle Street

Built: 1881 – 1883

Style: Renaissance

Architect: Minard Lafevre Beers of Chicago

Contractor: T Colwell and H Colwell

Description: The building faces north and is a four story buff colored limestone structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Ottawa. On the north front, the building has a large arched portico rising to the third story. There is large arched window with clock above. The third and fourth stories have are high arched windows in the north section of the building. A decorative cornice follows the flat roof line. In the interior a stair case ascends to the second story. On the third story is the large County Circuit Court courtroom. There are three other smaller County Circuit Court courtrooms. The building houses the County Circuit Court – Civil of the 13th Judicial Circuit.

Note: The LaSalle County Courthouse housed the Illinois Supreme Court from 1848 to 1860.

County Criminal Justice Center – Ottawa

Location: 707 Etna Road / Cherie Lane

Built: 1974 – 1975

Style: Modern

Architect: Phillips Swager Associates Inc. of Peoria

Contractor: J L Wroan & Sons, Inc.

Description: The building faces north and is a four story concrete, brick and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the northeast of the center of Ottawa. The building is “L” shaped with the courts located in the west section and the County Government Center in the east section. The building is faced with dark red-brown brick with the central entrance on the northwest side. The windows form horizontal lines across the building. The roof line is flat. In the interior is a glass atrium at the entrance with stairs ascending to the second story. There are two County Circuit Court courtrooms on the first story and two more on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court–Criminal of the 13th Judicial Circuit. On the south side of the building is the County Correctional Center constructed in 1973 to 1975. The architect was Phillips Swager Associates Inc. of Peoria and the contractor was Jean A McCoy & Son Inc.

See: The architect Phillips Swager Associates Inc. also designed Justice Centers in Rock Island County and Tazewell County.

See: The 13th Judicial Circuit includes Bureau County and Grundy County.

History: The county was created in 1831 and Ottawa was selected as the county seat. The first court met at the home of David Walker. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure erected in 1834 at a cost of $402. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built by William E Flag in 1839 to 1842 at a cost of $25,000. The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1881. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1881 to 1883 at a cost of $127,127. The County Criminal Justice Center was constructed in 1974 to 1975.

See: Illinois Appellate Court – Ottawa – Third District