Johnson County - American Courthouses

Johnson County is named for Thomas Johnson, who established a mission to the Shawnee Indians in 1829 and who was a clergyman.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Leavenworth County and Wyandotte County

E – Jackson County, Missouri and Cass County, Missouri

S – Miami County

W – Douglas County

Created: August 25, 1855

County Seat:

Olathe 1855 – present

Former County Courthouse (demolished) – Olathe

Location: 100 North Kansas Avenue / West Santa Fe Street

Built: 1951 – 1952

Style: Art Deco

Architect: Glover & Newcombe

Contractor: Chamber & Tarbell

Description: The building faced south and was a three story red-orange colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building was located on landscaped grounds in the center of Olathe. The south front had stone work around the entrances. The east and west wings extended from the main building and rose two stories. Behind the south entrance section, the building rose to three stories. A second addition was added in 1954 and again in 1968. An eight story tower was added in 1972 and completed in 1976. The building was demolished in 2021 and the site is now a park.

County Courthouse – Olathe

Location: 150 West Santa Fe Street / Kansas Avenue

Built: 2018 – 2020

Style: Modern

Architect: Fentress Architects of Denver, Colorado and TreanorHL Architects

Contractor: JE Dunn Construction

Description: The building faces south and is a seven story glass, limestone, steel and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Olathe. The building forms a long curve extending northwards. On the south side, glass walls extend across the front. Along the east side is a tilted concrete wall with high glass wall behind. The west side is curved with concrete facing. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the hallways are wide. There are 28 courtrooms from the fourth story to the seventh story. The ceremonial courtroom is located at the center of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 10th Judicial District.

History: The county was created in 1855 and Gum Spring was selected as the county seat. In 1858, the county seat was moved to Olathe and in 1859, J E Hayes built the first jail in Olathe. The first courthouse was built by Fred W Carr in 1865 in Olathe at a cost of $1,200. The courthouse was enlarged. The second courthouse was designed by George P Washburn and constructed by J S Beverfordon in 1891 to 1892 at a cost of $36,414. The building was demolished but the cornerstone stands in front of the third courthouse. The third courthouse was constructed in 1951 to 1952. The fourth and present courthouse was under constructed in 2018 to 2021 at a cost of $193,000,000.

County Administration Building – Olathe

Location: 111 South Cherry Street / West Park Street

Built: 1991 – 1992

Style: Modern

Architect: Peckham, Guyton, Albers and Viets Incorporated of Westwood

Contractor: Universal Construction Inc. of Kansas City

Description: The building faces north and is a three story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the south of the old courthouse, in the center of Olathe. The north front has a recessed entrance section with a large wing extending north on the east side and a smaller wing on the west side. To the east of the entrance section rises a high square brick clock tower. The engineer was Smith & Boucher Inc. of Overland Park.