Dakota County - American Courthouses

Dakota County is named for the Dakota Native American tribe.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Hennepin County, Ramsey County and Washington County

E – Pierce County, Wisconsin and Goodhue County

S – Goodhue County and Rice County

W – Rice County and Scott County

Created: October 27, 1849

County Seat:

Kaposia 1853 – 1854

Mendota 1854 – 1857

Hastings 1857 – present

County Judicial Center – Hastings

Location: 1560 Highway 55 / Pleasant Drive

Built: 1973 – 1974

Style: Modern

Architect: Ellerbe Architects (now Ellerbe Becket)

Contractor: Sheehy Construction Company

Description: The building faces west and is a three story mulberry-toned jumbo brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds to the west of the center of Hastings. The building has a large concrete central entrance with recessed doorway on the first story. The roof line is flat. The building has a three level atrium and sky lit lobby. Four large chrome plated ducts rise from the basement through the open lobby to the third story. There are 4 County District Court courtrooms on the 2nd story and 6 courtrooms on the 3rd story and 3 courtrooms on the north side of the building. The building houses the County District Court of the 1st Judicial District. The building is the Dakota County Judicial Center.

County Administration Center – Hastings

Location: 1560 Highway 55 / Pleasant Drive

Built: 1989 – 1990

Style: Modern

Architect: BWBR Architects

Contractor: M A Mortenson Company (construction manager)

Description: The building faces west and is a three buff and reddish colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on the south side of the Dakota County Justice Center on spacious landscaped grounds on the west side of Hastings. The building has a high arched entrance and lower arches along the first story. The roof line is flat. An addition was added in 2003 and completed in 2004. The architect was Wold Architect and Engineers and the contractor was Westra Construction.

Old County Courthouse – Hastings

Location: 101 4th Street East / Vermillion Street

Built: 1869 – 1871

Style: Italianate Villa Romanesque

Architect: A M Radcliffe of Saint Paul

Contractor: P Donivan

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and stone structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Hastings. The square shaped building has four symmetrical facades with a projecting square tower with red colored roof on each corner. The central entrance has a one story portico supported by paired fluted Corinthian columns and with balustrade on the second story. The building is constructed with a white colored brush hammered limestone for the foundation, window hoods and quoins. There are segmental arches over windows, bracketed and dentillated cornices. In the interior is a central rotunda below the high dome with a large stained glass window on the east side. The hallways run east-west with the city council chamber located on the east side of the first story. The former courtroom is located on the east side of the second story and has the stained glass window on the west side. In 1912, the original cupola was replaced with a larger domed circular cupola in the Renaissance Revival style. The architect was Augustus Gauger of Saint Paul and the contractor was W J Longcor. The two story buff colored brick addition was constructed in 1955. The architect was Ellerbe & Company. The building is the old Court House and served until 1974 and now serves as the City Hall..

See: National Register of Historic Places – Old Dakota County Courthouse

See: The 1st Judicial District includes Carver County, Goodhue County, Le Sueur County, McLeod County, Scott County and Sibley County.

History: The county was created in 1849 and Kaposia Hastings was selected as the county seat in 1853. The county seat was moved to Mendota in 1854 and then to Hastings in 1857. The first courthouse was built in 1869 to 1871 at a cost of $95,000 and is still standing and used as the City Hall. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1973 to 1974.

Other Branch Courthouses

Northern Service Center – West St Paul

Western Service Center – Apple Valley