101 East Court Square
Decatur, GA, USA

National Register of Historic Places -Old DeKalb County Courthouse (Civic Center)

Statement of Significant:

When DeKalb County needed a new county administration building and court- house, the obvious first thought was to do what the county had done since the early 19th century tear down the old courthouse and use the Decatur square on which it stood as the site for a larger building. But county business in the 1950's and 1960's had expanded to such a degree that it was necessary to erect a building of much larger scale than had ever been needed before. As the new multi-storied building went up nearby, some people felt the old courthouse should be razed and the land put to other uses. Others felt that the Corinthian-columned granite landmark was too fine a building, too well sited in the center of Decatur, to simply be discarded.

Since 1823 the site had been the location of DeKalb's courthouses. Following 19th century custom, the courthouse was located on a rise in the center of town. Streets bounding the four sides of the lot formed a square which became the center of town and county life. The first courthouse erected on the square was a log cabin (c.1823) which was replaced in 1829 with a brick structure. This courthouse served the county until 1842 when it was destroyed by fire. The third courthouse on the site was occupied in 1847. The growth of DeKalb County in the late-19th century called for a larger building and accordingly in 1898, the cornerstone of the present structure was laid. This building was greatly altered, however, in 1917 and 1918 as a result of a disastrous fire in 1916. This fire made complete renovation necessary. In 1917 Atlanta architects Walker and Chase used the basic bulk of the ruined building as the basis of their new design; essentially, they added wings to the east and west and pedimented porticoes in the Corinthian order to the north and south. (Their rendering of the new design is framed and hung in the headquarters of the DeKalb Historical Society on the main floor of the building.) Recently cleaned and refurbished, the building is a notable example of Beaux Arts neo-classicism.

While the courthouse is significant architecturally and in terms of urban planning and design, the courthouse square is significant historically as well. On July 22, 1864, General Joseph Wheeler was ordered to capture Federal wagon trains parked just north of the square. After fierce fighting Wheeler's Cavalry forced the Federal troops out of the area. A monument to the soldiers killed in this battle and others was erected in 1906 and still stands in the center of the main south walkway on the square. Several bronze plaques have also been placed on the grounds commemorating other Civil War events.
Now a civic center as it has been in essence for generations, the old court- house continues as a focus of community activity. The DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Department is presently housed in the building as is the DeKalb Historical Society, DeKalb Art Society and the University of Georgia Extension Service. Many local civic organizations use the courthouse for meetings and shows. Plans for further development of the civic center call for the furnishing of one room with fine antiques provided by the Decatur Women's Club.