Baltimore County Circuit Courthouses

Infobox nrhp
name = Baltimore County Courthouse
nrhp_type =

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caption =
lat_degrees = 39
lat_minutes = 24
lat_seconds = .36
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 76
long_minutes = 36
long_seconds = 21.60
long_direction = W
location = Towson, Maryland
nearest_city = Baltimore, Maryland
area =
built = 1854-1855
architect =
architecture = Greek Revival
designated =
added =
established =
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum =
mpsub =
governing_body = Baltimore County, Maryland

The Baltimore County Courthouses are located in Towson, the Baltimore County Courthouse ("historic Courthouse") houses many of the offices of county government, while the County Courts Building ("new" courthouse) is dedicated to the civil, criminal, family and juvenile divisions of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, as well as the Baltimore County Sheriff's Office.

Historic Courthouse

Description

The historic Baltimore County Courthouse is set in the heart of Towson with a modest park surrounding the edifice which is two stories high. The east façade is Greek Revival porte-cochere with a pediment supported by fluted Doric columns. The Courthouse's windows are enhanced by a narrow, coved stone lintel with a decorative croisette. A shallow "A" frame roof of the main block is crowned with a centered, 8-windowed, pilastered, frame cupola bearing a domed copper roof. All of these original exterior treatments are preserved intact. The building was enlarged in 1910, 1925 and 1958. [cite web|url=http://marylandhistoricaltrust.net/nr/NRDetail.aspx?HDID=102|title=Property Name: Baltimore County Courthouse|publisher=Maryland Historical Trust|accessdate=2008-05-14]

History

The cornerstone of the courthouse was laid on October 19, 1854 in what was then called "Towsontown". Coleman Yellott, a local attorney delivered the official address saying:

The ceremony which you had assembled to witness, has now been performed. The Corner Stone of the building has been laid; and soon the edifice itself will rise towards the Heavens, attracting, by the beauty of its proportions and the simple grandeur of its walls, the admiring gaze of every traveler along yonder highway. May it stand for ages, in sunshine and in storm, firm and unshaken as the hill in which its foundations are planted; and may it ever be pointed to as a temple of Justice! [cite journal|last=Turnbull|first=J. Grayson|date=1854-10-19|title=Address Upon the Occasion of the Laying of the Corner-Stone of the Court House of Baltimore County|publisher=J. Grayson Turbull, II archivist|location=Towson, Maryland|accessdate=2008-05-14]

The building was completed in 1855, six years later the building was the object of an arsonist's attack. According to a blurb in the New York Times, on Saturday, August 14, 1861, the building was "fired by incendiary". The account goes on to say that the fire was contained to the records office and the rest of the building escaped damage. [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D02E3DA103FEE34BC4D51DFBE66838A679FDE|title=Burning of tho Baltimore County CourtHouse|date=1861-08-25|publisher=the New York Times|accessdate=2008-05-14]

County Courts Building

The Baltimore County Courts Building is located on Bosley Avenue in Towson, Maryland and shares the same public square with the Baltimore County Courthouse.Sometimes referred to as the "New Courthouse", it houses the 17 judges of the Baltimore County Circuit Court, the Offices of the Baltimore County State's Attorney, juvenile and equity masters, four retired judges and nearly 100 support personnel. [cite web|url=http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/circuit/index.html|title=Welcome to the Judiciary|publisher=Baltimore County|accessdate=2008-05-14]

References