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May 10, 1984
National Register of Historic Places - Otter Tail County Courthouse
Statement of Significance: The Otter Tail County Courthouse is significant as the center of county government since 1922. In addition, the courthouse is significant as one of the most prominent public structures in Otter Tail County and an excellent example of Beaux Arts architectural design. Fergus Falls became the county seat in 1872 after the decline of Otter Tail City, the county's first seat. George B. Wright and Richard J. Mendenhall, founders of Fergus Falls, donated a city block on which to build a courthouse. The county's 1881 courthouse was destroyed by a tornado in 1919, necessitating the construction of a new building. Buechner and Orth, architects in St. Paul, provided plans for the Otter Tail County courthouse like other of their Beaiox Arts courthouses in Minnesota. Gebhard and Martinson, in A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, describe the courthouse as, "a dry textbook version of the Beaux Arts tradition...Everything is 'correct,' including the interior murals." The 1922 structure retains its exterior and interior integrity, though painting has covered some murals. A 1972 addition to the rear of the courthouse houses the law enforcement center. It is of matching brick and does not significantly detract from the earlier structure.
National Register of Historic Places - Otter Tail County Courthouse
Statement of Significance: The Otter Tail County Courthouse is significant as the center of county government since 1922. In addition, the courthouse is significant as one of the most prominent public structures in Otter Tail County and an excellent example of Beaux Arts architectural design. Fergus Falls became the county seat in 1872 after the decline of Otter Tail City, the county's first seat. George B. Wright and Richard J. Mendenhall, founders of Fergus Falls, donated a city block on which to build a courthouse. The county's 1881 courthouse was destroyed by a tornado in 1919, necessitating the construction of a new building. Buechner and Orth, architects in St. Paul, provided plans for the Otter Tail County courthouse like other of their Beaiox Arts courthouses in Minnesota. Gebhard and Martinson, in A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, describe the courthouse as, "a dry textbook version of the Beaux Arts tradition...Everything is 'correct,' including the interior murals." The 1922 structure retains its exterior and interior integrity, though painting has covered some murals. A 1972 addition to the rear of the courthouse houses the law enforcement center. It is of matching brick and does not significantly detract from the earlier structure.
May 10, 1984
Posted Date
Aug 09, 2022
Historical Record Date
May 10, 1984
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
