The Herkimer County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Portions of the content on this web page were adapted from a copy of the original nomination document. [1]
See also: Historic Courthouses and Courthouse Districts.
Significance
The Herkimer County Courthouse was erected in the summer of 1873 at a cost of $46,000. Located at an important intersection in the City of Herkimer, the exterior design of this three-story brick structure remains virtually unchanged. In 1936, as a Works Projects Administration project, the interior of the building was subdivided and remodeled.
Two important court cases were decided in this building. Here, Roxalina Druse was sentenced to death by hanging, and she became the only woman in New York State to meet this fate. The trial of Chester Gillette was held here in 1906. The background of that sensational murder trial was the framework for An American Tragedy by Theodore Drieser.
Description
Number of stories: Three stories and high basement.
Number of bays: West (front) facade is five bays wide.
Wall construction: Painted brick walls above stone foundations.
Structural system: Wood framing.
Roof, cornice: Various intersecting roofs; wide wooden cornice with dentils above brick frieze.
Openings: Round-arched windows have brick lintels with stone keys.
Porch: One bay wide entrance porch has flat roof, bracketed cornice. The large square columns are joined by arches on three sides of the porch.
Tower: Tower, which is octagonal in plan, has arched openings and mansard roof with bracketed cornices.
Reference
History of Herkimer County. New York: F.W. Beers & Co., 1879.
Street Names
Court Street • Main Street North