Greene County - American Courthouses

Greene County is named for Nathanael Greene, who was an officer during the American Revolutionary War.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Montgomery County and Clark County

E – Madison County and Fayette County

S – Clinton County and Warren County

W – Montgomery County

Created: May 1, 1803

County Seat:

Beaver Creek 1803 – 1804

Xenia 1804 – present

County Courthouse – Xenia

Location: 45 North Detroit Street / East Main Street

Built: 1901 – 1902

Style: Richardsonian Romanesque

Architect: Samuel Hannaford and Sons

Contractor: Hennson Brothers and Evans Company of Chicago, Illinois

Description: The building faces south and is a three story buff colored Bedford sandstone and concrete structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Xenia. The south front has at the southwest corner a high square stone clock tower with turrets and steep red colored roof. The west entrance has a large arch with smaller arches on each side and balcony above on the second story. The front rises to a peak with a sloped red colored roof. The base of the building is red Michigan sand stone. At the entrance are two stone lions made by George McDonnell of Chicago. In the interior, part of the walls and staircase are made of imported white colored Italian marble. The Mosaic floors are made of glass tiles. The second story has several murals, with the one at the top of the stairs by an artist from Cincinnati. The mural on the ceiling of the County Court of Common Pleas courtroom one, on the north side, was made by John Archer of Schachne Studios, Dayton. The stained glass window above the entrance to courtroom one was created by the Art Glass Company of Springfield, Ohio. There is a beautiful colored leaded stain glass window titled “Justice is Blind” created by Erkins Glass Company of Springfield. This window dates from the completion of the building at a cost of $400. The window depicts a blindfolded woman holding the scales of justice. There is a smaller second courtroom on the second story. The building houses the County Court of Common Pleas – Domestic Relations, Juvenile and Probate Divisions. J C Conwell of Xenia furnished the hardware.

Note: The architect, Samuel Hannaford and Sons, also designed courthouses in Monroe County and Washington County.

See: Ohio Court of Appeals – Dayton ( 2nd Appellate District )

History The county was created in 1803 and Beaver Creek was selected as the first county seat. The first courthouse was a log house designed and built by Benjamin Whiteman in 1799 in Beavercreek and used as a courthouse in 1803 to 1804. The county seat was moved to Xenia in 1804 and the second courthouse was built in 1809 at a cost of $3,396. The third courthouse was built in Xenia in 1843. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1901 to 1902 at a cost of $191,746.

County Administration Building – Xenia

Location: 51 Greene Street / East Market Street

Built: 1965 – 1966

Style: Modern

Architect: Thomas D McLaughlin and John J Keil

Contractor: Miller-Valentine Construction Corporation

Description: The building faces west and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The windows are vertical with panels between. The roof line is flat. The builfding houses the county offices.