Genesee County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Genesee County Courthouse
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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East elevation, 2009
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Batavia, NY |
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| Built | 1841 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Part of | Genesee County Courthouse Historic District |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001193 |
| Added to NRHP | June 18, 1973 |
The Genesee County Courthouse is an important building in Batavia, New York. It stands where Main Street (which includes New York State Routes 5 and 33) meets Ellicott Street (NY 63). This three-story building was constructed in the 1840s. It is made of limestone and designed in the Greek Revival style.
This courthouse replaced an older wooden one nearby. The first courthouse served a huge area called the Holland Purchase. This large land area is now known as Western New York. By the time the current courthouse was built, Genesee County was much smaller. Many other counties had been created from the original land. All the materials used to build the new courthouse came from local areas.
Over the years, the courthouse has been updated a few times. Most court activities now happen in newer buildings nearby. However, the Genesee County Courthouse is still used for some court purposes. It also holds offices for the county manager and the county attorney. The county legislature also meets here. In 1973, the courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Later, in 1982, it was included again when the entire Genesee County Courthouse Historic District was added to the Register.
Contents
Exploring the Courthouse Building
The Genesee County Courthouse is located on a unique triangular piece of land. Main Street is to the north, Ellicott Street to the south, and Court Street to the east. The building is easy to see when you drive down West Main Street. Another large county building, made of brick in the Colonial Revival style, is also on this block. Paths connect the two buildings, surrounded by a big lawn and sidewalks. To the west, where Main and Ellicott streets split, you'll find a large granite monument. It honors soldiers and features a statue of General Emory Upton.
Nearby Public Buildings
Many other public buildings are close to the courthouse. Across Main Street to the north are the post office, the old county jail, and Batavia's old city hall. These buildings are also part of the historic district. The city police headquarters is to the northwest. To the northeast, you can find the new city hall and the Genesee Country Mall. Other public buildings are to the south, with Tonawanda Creek behind them. All these buildings have parking lots around them.
Two blocks west on West Main Street is the Holland Land Office Museum. This museum is a National Historic Landmark. The main shopping areas of downtown Batavia start two blocks east on both Main and Ellicott streets. The areas to the north, south, and west of the courthouse are mostly homes.
What the Building Looks Like
The courthouse itself is a five-by-five-bay structure. This means it has five sections across its front and sides. Its walls are made of strong limestone. The front (east side) is two and a half stories tall, but the back (west side) is a full three stories. A stone band, called a belt course, separates the lower level. This band also acts as a water table, helping to protect the building from water.
The roof is a hipped roof covered with slate shingles. Copper trim runs along the roofline. In the center of the roof is a cupola, which is a small dome-like structure. This cupola holds a bell from the original courthouse. A brick chimney rises from the southeast corner of the building.
On the front of the building, six large stone pilasters decorate the first floor. Pilasters are like flat columns attached to the wall. These have Doric capitals at the top. All the windows, except for the main entrance, are 12-over-12 double-hung sash windows. At the top of the walls, just below the roof, is an architrave with three narrow bands. Above this is a plain, wide frieze and then a projecting cornice.
The lower part of the cupola has clapboard siding. It also has corner pilasters, a frieze, and a molded cornice. Above this is a balustrade, which is a fancy railing. This railing surrounds the top part of the cupola. Each side of the top part has two Doric pilasters with a louvered vent in between them. A copper dome sits on top of the cupola.
Stone steps with iron railings lead up to the main entrance. The front door is set back into the building. It is framed by more Doric pilasters, narrow side windows (sidelights), and a window above the door (a transom). This entrance leads into a central hallway with offices on both sides.
At the back of the hallway, a double staircase goes up to the second floor. It merges into a single stair before reaching the top. The main courtroom is on the second floor. It has a coved ceiling covered with sound-absorbing tiles. Two judges' chambers are also on this level. The wooden panels on the lower part of the walls (wainscoting) and the trim around doors and windows seem to be original. The third floor used to be offices for the county clerk. Now, it is an open meeting room for the county legislature.
History of the Courthouse
Joseph Ellicott oversaw the building of the very first courthouse in 1802. He was an agent for the Holland Land Company. This first building was a two-story wooden structure. It was located east of the current building. Ellicott chose Batavia as his headquarters because it was where major Iroquois trails met. These trails later became Main and Ellicott streets.
The First Courthouse and Its Bell
The original courthouse had jail cells in the basement. Offices were on the first floor, and the courtroom was upstairs. Like the current building, it had a cupola on top. A local story tells of David McCracken, a wealthy early resident who loved playing practical jokes. He was surprised the land company hadn't bought a bell for the cupola. So, he ordered a bell himself from a foundry in New Haven, Connecticut.
After the bell arrived, he hung it between two trees. Early one morning, he started ringing it, waking up the whole village! Ellicott asked if the bell was for sale. When McCracken said yes, Ellicott bought it right away. This bell has been in the courthouse ever since.
Changes to Genesee County
As more people settled the Holland Purchase, Genesee County was divided into ten other counties. As the county's borders changed, people wanted the county seat (the main town for county government) to be more central. This issue was settled in 1841 when Wyoming County was created to the south of Genesee. This made Batavia central to the county once again.
The county's Board of Supervisors asked the state legislature for money to build a new courthouse. This was approved in 1841. The new building's Greek Revival design was popular for public buildings at that time. It was a larger version of the original courthouse. The Onondaga limestone used for the walls came from nearby Le Roy. The pillars and capitals came from Lockport in Niagara County.
Local craftsmen built the courthouse. It was finished in early 1843, and the first court sessions were held later that year. At first, the Board of Supervisors allowed all kinds of public meetings in the building. But by 1851, they ordered the sheriff to allow only county meetings. The two commissioners who oversaw the building's construction later became judges.
Renovations and Updates
The first changes to the courthouse happened in 1862. Some parts of the inside were changed, and fireproofing was added for the county clerk's office. In 1918, the original courthouse, which was then called Ellicott Hall, burned down. Luckily, the bell was saved and moved to the cupola of the current courthouse.
Major renovations took place in 1932. The front of the building, which used to be an open porch with columns, was enclosed. This created more office space. The freestanding columns became pilasters. Inside, the upstairs courtroom was rearranged. These renovations cost $58,000.
In 1957, the outside walls were sandblasted clean. A bigger project in 1975 cost $155,000. This project added a fire alarm and sprinkler system, lightning protection, and new gutter downspouts. The outside stone was cleaned again. The windows, roofing, and wooden trim were replaced. The wooden supports for the bell were changed, and its rope was replaced with an electrical system. In 1999, air conditioning and an elevator were added.
There have been no other big changes to the building since then. Today, it serves as offices for the county manager and their assistant, as well as the county attorney. The nine members of the county legislature still meet twice a month in the upstairs courtroom.
