Crown Point Courthouse Square Historic District

Crown Point Courthouse Square Historic District in Crown Point, Indiana dates back to 1873. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Its boundaries were changed in 2005, and it was increased in 2007 to include a Moderne building at 208 Main Street. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial and public buildings represent a period of economic and political growth. The Lake County Courthouse stands in the center of the district. Designed by architect John C. Cochrane in 1878, this brick building is a combination of Romanesque Revival and Classical styles. Enlarged in 1909 with the addition of north and south wings, designed by Beers and Beers. Continue growth in the county required second enlargement in 1928. This local landmark was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The commercial buildings surrounding the courthouse include examples of the most common styles of the late nineteenth century. The I.O.O.F. Building, and the commercial buildings at 103 West Joliet Street and 102 South Main Street are Italianate Commercial with decorative pressed-metal details. The Allman Block is the Romanesque Revival style on the square. These structures were built from 1880 to 1891. The early twentieth century architecture include the 1908 Carnegie Library and the Masonic Lodge next to each other on South Main. The Masonic Lodge is a Colonial Revival style building built c. 1920. Across Main Street are two other examples of the Colonial Revival, the Lake County Criminal Court Building and the Community Center, also from the 1920s. The Lake County Sheriff's House and Jail, built in 1882, is Second Empire style. These are the first permanent buildings for this purpose. The jail was expanded in 1910. The bulk of the existing two-story building was completed in 1934. This is the jail from which John Dillinger escaped in March 1934 while being held on murder charges. The jail was closed in 1974, and placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.