Jefferson County is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was President of the United States from 1801 to 1809.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Floyd County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana and Oldham County
E – Shelby County and Spencer County
S – Bullitt County
W – Harrison County, Indiana and Floyd County, Indiana
Created: May 1, 1780
County Seat:
Louisville 1780 – present
County Courthouse – Louisville
Location: 527 West Jefferson Street / South 6th Street
Built: 1837– 1860
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: Gideon Shryock of Louisville and Albert Fink of Louisville
Contractor: Gideon Shryock of Louisville
Description: The building faces south and is a two story stuccoed and stone structure. The building was occupied in 1842. At the south front there is a large portico with four large columns. The windows on the second story are higher than the windows on the first story. The building had a dome that was removed in 1905. There is a large interior rotunda with a statue of Henry Clay. The building was renovated in 1982. The architect was Bickel-Gibson Architects, Inc.
Note: Shortly after construction began, Shryock was either fired or left the project. In financially tough times, construction stalled. The building was only partially finished when the city and county governments took up occupancy in 1842. The courthouse stood unfinished until 1858, when construction was taken over by Albert Fink, a bridge designer and engineer for the L&N Railroad.
See: The architect, Gideon Shryock of Louisville, designed the courthouse in Franklin County.
County Hall of Justice – Louisville
Location: 600 West Jefferson Street / South 6th Street
Built: 1973 – 1975
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and is a five story concrete and glass structure. The main entrance is located at the northeast corner. Vertical concrete pillars support the horizontal projecting stories with horizontal windows. The north section rises higher than the south section. The roof line is flat. The building is named as the Louis D Brandeis Hall of Justice.
County Judicial Center – Louisville
Location: 700 West 7th Street / West Jefferson Street
Built: 1999 – 2001
Style: Modern
Architect: Louis & Henry Group of Louisville
Contractor: Turner Construction Company
Description: The building faces north and is a ten story concrete and glass structure. The main entrance is located at the northeast corner with six high columns rising to a circular section at the sixth story. The entrance is recessed. The north side of the building is curved blue colored glass. A high concrete tower rises on the northwest corner. The roof line is flat. The building is connected to the Hall of Justice on the east side. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County District Court of the 30th Judicial Circuit.
History: The county was created in 1780 and Louisville was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log cabin erected in 1784. The second and third courthouses were built. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1837 to 1842 as the City and County Building. The County Hall of Justice was constructed in 1973 to 1975. The County Justice Center was constructed in 1999 to 2001.
County Courthouse – Louisville
Statue of Thomas Jefferson
County Hall of Justice – Louisville
County Judicial Center – Louisville
Photos taken 2007 and 2018
Images 36