Winona County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Winona County Courthouse
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The Winona County Courthouse from the northwest
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 171 W. 3rd Street, Winona, Minnesota |
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| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | C.G. Maybury and Son |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000313 |
| Added to NRHP | December 2, 1970 |
The Winona County Courthouse is a very important building in Winona, Minnesota. It is where the local government for Winona County does its work. This means it's where decisions are made about the county, like how roads are managed or how local services are provided.
The building was finished in 1889. It was built in a special old style called Richardsonian Romanesque. This style uses strong, heavy stone and round arches. The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. This list includes buildings that are important to history or architecture. The Winona County Courthouse was the first courthouse in Minnesota to be on this list! It shows how important Winona was during its time as a busy riverboat and logging town.
Fixing Up the Courthouse
The Winona County Courthouse cost about $125,000 to build a long time ago. From the 1970s to the year 2000, people spent nearly $2.5 million to fix up and update the building.
The Big Flood of 2000
On September 3, 2000, something unexpected happened. The ceiling in a courtroom on the fourth floor suddenly fell down. This broke some water pipes that were part of the fire safety system. A lot of water, over 4,500 gallons, poured into the building! This caused a lot of damage.
Because of the water damage, the county offices had to move to other buildings. The courthouse needed a lot of work to fix everything.
Bringing the Building Back to Life
Insurance helped pay for more than half of the repair costs. The Minnesota Historical Society also gave $50,000 to help fix the outside of the building. The repairs cost about $5.6 million for the inside and another $1.5 million for the outside.
During this big renovation, workers not only fixed the water damage but also made the building look more like it did when it was first built. They even brought back some of the old fireplaces! Now, the courthouse is safe and modern, but it still has its beautiful historic look.
