Lake County Courthouse is Center of Community Pride
If you’re traveling into downtown Crown Point‚ chances are you’ll spot the historic Lake County Courthouse long before you get to your destination.
“ It is kind of the focal point‚” says Bruce Woods‚ president of the Lake County Historical Society and director of the Lake County Historical Museum‚ both of which are located in the building. “You don’t have to explain where to go. Everyone knows where it is‚ and you see it two miles out of town.”
The exuberant courthouse‚ which dominates the center of town and is fondly known as the Grand Old Lady‚ was designed by J.C. Cochran of Chicago and begun in 1878. Two later additions‚ in 1907 and in 1928‚ expanded the building to its current size.
Style-wise‚ Crown Point’s architectural crown jewel is a mixture‚ says James Glass‚ director of the graduate program in historic preservation in the department of architecture at Ball State University. Rounded windows lend an element of Romanesque Revival strength‚ while the large towers and projecting wings are very Renaissance Revival in feel.
The resulting classically inspired building also is rich in historic associations.
In October 1896‚ orator William Jennings Bryan gave a speech here during his campaign for the presidency.
The presentation to the winner of the Cobe Cup Race‚ the precursor to today’s Indianapolis 500‚ was held on the east steps of the building in 1909. Incidentally‚ that winner was Louis Chevrolet‚ who went on to become a famous engineer and founder of the Chevrolet Motor Company.
While the red brick and limestone courthouse stands today as a model of historic preservation‚ bustling with retail shops‚ businesses‚ a restaurant and a museum‚ at one point its destruction was planned in order to make way for a parking lot.
Crown Point native Wilbur Heidbreder‚ president emeritus of the Lake Court House Foundation‚ played a prominent role in the grassroots effort to save the courthouse in the early 1970s. By then the county had outgrown the building and moved most court operations to another site‚ which meant that the unused old courthouse was in danger.
“ We approached the commissioners and they agreed to sell it to us for a dollar‚” recalls Heidbreder‚ noting that there was wide community support to save the grand building. The rest‚ they say‚ is history.
The money set aside for demolition was used for renovation‚ and the Lake Court House Foundation was formed to restore the building‚ which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. “Probably the motivating force was to retain it and make some expression of the history of the county‚” says Heidbreder.
Today‚ the Lake County Courthouse is home to the Lake Court House Foundation‚ the Lake County Historical Museum‚ the Lake County Historical Society and the Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce. Fourteen retail shops and several offices‚ including an architecture firm and a photography studio‚ make the building an important economic and social center.
The old courthouse isn’t your average office or retail space‚ either. There are soaring windows‚ gleaming marble floors and high ceilings with original and restored stenciling. The third level sports a black and white marble floor that “looks like a big chess board‚” says Woods. Visitors can view almost the entire building‚ including the courtroom still used by the city on the third level.
“ We truly enjoy being down here‚” says Irmgard Claussen‚ owner of LaFleur‚ an upscale gift shop on the ground floor of the courthouse. She notes that the shops draw visitors from nearby Chicago as well as Lake Countians. With an active merchant’s association and regular events‚ “there’s always something going on‚” she says.
The Foundation uses its revenues to fund the building’s upkeep. “Since 1973‚ they’ve put a million dollars back into the building‚” says Gayle Van Sessen‚ executive director of the Greater Crown Point Chamber of Commerce.
The courthouse clearly holds a place in the hearts of local residents. People leave bequests for the ongoing preservation of the building in wills‚ wedding receptions are held in the sparkling Maki Ballroom‚ which can accommodate 225‚ and civic social events often convene outdoors on the lawn with the courthouse as a backdrop.
The ballroom‚ which recently was renamed in honor of a longtime master carpenter that worked on the building for 25 years‚ is booked until 2002.
It’s hard to imagine what down-town Crown Point would be like if the towering courthouse had been flattened for parking spaces.
“ I can’t imagine‚” says Van Sessen. “I think it would have been devastating for the downtown area.”
“ You can see our building for miles around – that’s the anchor for the community‚ there’s no doubt about it.”
