Door County - American Courthouses

Door County is named for a dangerous strait near the peninsula which was known to the French as “porte des mortes” meaning “door of the dead”.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Lake Michigan

E – Lake Michigan

S – Kewaunee County

W – Oconto County and Marinette County

Created: February 11, 1851

County Seat:

Gibraltar 1841 – 1857

Sturgeon Bay 1851 – present

County Courthouse – Sturgeon Bay

Location: 421 Nebraska Street / South 4th Avenue

Built: 1957 – 1958

Style: Modern

Architect: Foeller, Schober, Berners, Safford & Jahn of Green Bay

Contractor: Dick Oudenhoven Construction of Kaukauna

Description: The building faces west and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Sturgeon Bay. The entrance on the west side is a one story concrete and glass lobby with a silver colored roof. The complex is called the “Government Center” and the County Offices are along the south side. In the interior, the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room is located on the west side of the first story which was formerly a courtroom. In 1991, the old part of the building which had been built in 1878 being the original courthouse, was demolished and the 1958 addition was renovated in 1991 to 1992. The architect was Ayers & Associates of Green Bay and the contractor was Howard Immel Inc. of Green Bay.

County Justice Center – Sturgeon Bay

Location: 1205 South Duluth Avenue

Built: 2003 – 2005

Style: Modern

Architect: Stubenrauch Architects Inc. of Appleton

Contractor: Miron Construction Company Inc. of Green Bay

Description: The building faces northeast and is a two story red colored brick, buff colored stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds to the southwest of the center of Sturgeon Bay along County Road S. The northeast front has a triangular section at the center with large glass windows and recessed entrance. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the entrance lobby rises two stories with a staircase ascending to the second story. The two County Circuit Court courtrooms are located along the southwest side of the northeast side corridor. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 8th Judicial District.

See: The 8th Judicial District includes Brown County, Kewaunee County, Marinette County, Oconto County, Outagamie County and Waupaca County.

History: The county was created in 1851 and Gibraltar was selected as the county seat. The county seat was moved to Sturgeon Bay in 1857. The first courthouse was a two story structure built in 1857 to 1858. The second courthouse was designed by H C Koch & Company of Milwaukee and constructed by Bell & Cole of Oshkosh in 1878 at a cost of $12,542 on the southwest corner of Main Street and Spruce Street. The courthouse was remodeled in 1920 and the contractor was Henry Anschutz of Sturgeon Bay. An addition was constructed in 1957 to 1958 on the west end of the courthouse. The addition became the third and present courthouse when the 1878 courthouse was demolished in 1991. The courthouse was renovated in 1991 to 1992. The County Justice Center was constructed in 2003 to 2005.