16 3rd Avenue East
Ada, MN, USA

National Register of Historic Places - Norman County Courthouse

Statement of Significance:

The Norman County Courthouse is significant as the center of Norman County government since its construction and for the quality of its Romanesque design. The county, located in the heart of the Red River Valley area of Minnesota, was established in 1881, and the city of Ada was platted the same year by the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railroad. A two-story frame building was constructed for the county's use in 1883. Several attempts were made to relocate the county seat to Twin Valley, which at that time occupied a more central location (the county also included present Mahnomen County until 1906). However, after a 1902 election favored keeping the county seat at Ada, plans were made for a new courthouse. The building was constructed on the same block as the 1883 building stood. Occupied in 1904, the imposing structure retains its original function and community prominence.