Lamoille County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Lamoille County Courthouse
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 154 Main St., Hyde Park, Vermont |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1912 |
| Built by | Nichols and Parker |
| Architect | Austin, Zachary Taylor |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001497 |
| Added to NRHP | January 11, 1996 |
The Lamoille County Courthouse is an important building in Hyde Park, Vermont. This town is the "shire town" for Lamoille County, Vermont. A "shire town" is like a county seat; it's where the main government offices for the county are located. The courthouse was built in 1912. It was designed by an architect named Zachary Taylor Austin. The building shows off two cool styles of architecture: Romanesque and Colonial Revival. Because of its history and unique look, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
Contents
What Makes the Courthouse Special?
The Lamoille County Courthouse stands in the middle of the village of Hyde Park. It's surrounded by other government buildings. This impressive building is made of brick and is about two and a half stories tall.
Unique Architectural Features
One of the coolest parts is a tall tower on the front left side. This tower has a pyramid-shaped roof. The main roof of the building is also sloped, with small windows called dormers sticking out. The tower has a square section with clock faces. A weathervane sits right on top of the tower's roof.
The front of the building has five sections, called bays. A porch with round columns covers the middle three sections. This porch has a special railing called a Union Jack balustrade. You can see this railing on the ground floor and around the porch roof. The windows on the second floor are rounded at the top. Some sections have double windows.
A Look Back at the Courthouse's History
The very first courthouse for Lamoille County was built in Hyde Park in 1836. This happened soon after the state created the county. Hyde Park was chosen as the main town for the county's government.
The Great Fire of 1910
In 1910, a big fire swept through Hyde Park. It was called the "Great Fire." This fire destroyed the first courthouse and 17 other buildings. Luckily, important county records were kept safe in special fireproof safes.
Building the Current Courthouse
The courthouse you see today was built right after the fire, between 1911 and 1912. Zachary Taylor Austin, an architect from Burlington, designed it. This building is special because it mixes two different styles: Colonial Revival and Romanesque Revival. This combination is not common in other courthouses in Vermont.
Inside the building, the second floor has a very large courtroom. This courtroom looks much like it did when the building was first finished. People believe that the fireproof vaults in this new building might actually be the same ones that saved the records from the 1836 courthouse fire!
