Dane County - American Courthouses

Dane County is named for Nathan Dane, who was a Massachusetts delegate to the Congress of the Confederation and who helped carve Wisconsin out of the Northwest Territory.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Sauk County and Columbia County

E – Dodge County and Jefferson County

S – Rock County and Green County

W – Iowa County and Sauk County

Created: December 7, 1836

County Seat:

Madison 1839 – present

County Courthouse – Madison

Location: 215 South Hamilton Street / Wilson Street

Built: 2003 – 2005

Style: Modern

Architect: Durrant Architects

Contractor: Miron Construction Company Inc.

Description: The building faces west and is a ten story brick, stone, concrete and glass structure. The building is located in the center of Madison. The building forms a triangle with small square windows. The first story has columns with a recessed glass wall. On the upper section is a large glass wall. The roof is flat. In the interior are 17 County Circuit Court courtrooms. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 5th Judicial Circuit.

Old County Courthouse – Madison

Location: 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard / Doty Street

Built: 1955 – 1957

Style: Modern

Architect: Holabird, Root and Burgee of Chicago and Law, Law, Potter and Nystrom of Madison

Contractor: B Perni and Sons Inc. of Framingham, Massachusetts

Description: The building faces north and is a seven story concrete and glass structure. The building is located in the center of Madison. The north front has a projecting center section with glass doors and cement grill work on the second level. The roof line is flat. The building served as a courthouse until 2005 and now serves as the Madison City Hall.

See: The 5th Judicial District includes Columbia County, Green County, Lafayette County, Rock County and Sauk County.

History: The county was created in 1836 and Madison was selected as the county seat. The court met at different locations. The first courthouse was built in 1849 to 1851 at a cost of $12,000. The second courthouse was a three story structure designed by Henry Koch and constructed by D Stevens in 1883 to 1886 at a cost of $180,000. The third courthouse was constructed in 1955 to 1957. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 2003 to 2005.

See: The Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals – Division IV are located in the county.