Aitkin County Courthouse and Jail
209 and 217 2nd St., NW, Aitkin, MNThe Aitkin County Courthouse and Jail are significant as two highly visible landmarks which have housed most Aitkin County offices since courthouse construction in 1929. In addition, the courthouse is significant as a well-preserved example of the Beaux-Arts Style "replacement" courthouses erected in several Minnesota counties during the initial decades of the twentieth century. The construction of both structures resulted from the overcrowded facilities in the original courthouse built on the same site in 1887 when the county's population numbered under 2000. By 1910 the courthouse facilities were deemed inadequate to meet the county's governmental needs. The erection of the jail in 1915 brought temporary relief by providing additional office and storage space in that portion of the courthouse occupied by the jail and sheriff's residence. County officials decided in 1920 to erect a new courthouse; plans were accepted and a building fund was established. As was the case with the jail earlier, the courthouse was erected (1929) without a bond issue. While continued use of the courthouse in its original function is anticipated, the county board is currently contemplating constructing a new jail facility. Initial plans, however, call for the jail's adaptive reuse as needed office and storage space.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.