This is a list of former and current non-federal courthouses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Each of the 67 counties in the Commonwealth has a city or borough designated as the county seat where the county government resides, including a county courthouse for the court of general jurisdiction, the Court of Common Pleas. Other courthouses are used by the three state-wide appellate courts (the Supreme Court, the Superior Court, and the Commonwealth Court), or minor courts such as the municipal courts of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, or magisterial district courts. As noted below, some courthouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
After William Penn landed in the new Province of Pennsylvania in 1682, he set up a general-purpose Provincial Court. The state supreme court traces its origin to that institution. The oldest existing building in the Commonwealth that was used for the judiciary is the Chester County Courthouse of 1724, used for trials until 1967. The Franklin County courthouse was destroyed by Confederate troops in 1864 during the American Civil War.
| Courthouse | Image | County | Location | Built | Architect[1] | Style | Notes | Additional References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Adams County Courthouse | Adams | Gettysburg 39.8309°N -77.2309°W | 1804 | unknown | Federal | Pennsylvania Historical Marker Text: First courthouse for Adams County stood in old Center Square from 1804 to 1859. The land for the Square was given by James Gettys. | |||
| Adams County Courthouse | Adams | Gettysburg 39.8294°N -77.2325°W | 1858 | Stephen Decatur Button | Italianate | NRHP-listed (refnum 74001728). John R. Turner of Carlisle constructed the building. The building is two stories high, three bays wide, six bays deep and constructed of red brick, which was originally painted gray. Rear wings were added in 1895. A large clock tower reaches about 70feet above ground level. During the Battle of Gettysburg the building served as both a command post and as a hospital, for both Union and Confederate armies. | [2] [3] | ||
| Old Allegheny County Courthouses | Allegheny | Pittsburgh | 1794, 1841 | Greek Revival (1841) | Pittsburgh's original courthouse, first occupied in 1794, was a wooden structure located on one side of Market Square. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and from December 7, 1818, until 1841 the federal Western District of Pennsylvania also held court sessions at Market Square. Land for a new courthouse was purchased in April 1834. Construction took place between 1836 and 1840. This court house was built with polished gray sandstone, quarried at Coal Hill (present-day Mount Washington), opposite Water Street along the Monongahela River. The Greek Revival design included a domed cupola housing a rotunda 60feet in diameter and 80feet high. The building was completed in 1841. The building's second floor again served as the headquarters for both the Commonwealth Supreme Court Pittsburgh region and the Federal Western District, serving the latter until a new U.S. Customs House/Post Office opened on Fifth and Smithfield in 1853. Due to corrosion caused by coal smoke, the building deteriorated: the dressed surface of the facade dropped off, some of the cornices near the roof began to fall, and the building had a scaly appearance. On May 7, 1882, a fire broke out and ruined the building. Subsequently, it was demolished. The third, and present, courthouse was erected on the same spot. | ||||
| Allegheny County Courthouse | Allegheny | Pittsburgh 40.4384°N -79.9961°W | 1888 | Henry Hobson Richardson | Romanesque Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 73001586 as Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail). It is part of a complex (along with the old Allegheny County Jail). The design of the Allegheny County Courthouse has influenced buildings in many cities across America, such as Minneapolis City Hall, Altgeld Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and James W. McLaughlin's Wayne County Courthouse in Richmond, Indiana. | [4] [5] | ||
| Armstrong County Courthouse | Armstrong | Kittanning 40.8164°N -79.5167°W | 1860 | Hulings and Dickey | Greek Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 81000526). The courthouse was built between 1858 and 1860, and is a two-story, brick-and-stone building measuring 105 feet by 65 feet. It has a hipped roof topped by an octagonal cupola and bell. It features a portico with four Corinthian order columns in Greek Revival style. | [6] [7] | ||
| Old Beaver County Courthouse | Beaver | Beaver | 1875 | Thomas Boyd | Courthouse is illustrated in a 1910 postcard. It was rebuilt in 1933 after a fire in a then-contemporary Streamline Moderne style. | ||||
| Beaver County Courthouse | Beaver | Beaver 40.6947°N -80.3086°W | 2002 | Postmodern | [8] [9] | ||||
| Bedford County Courthouse | Bedford | Bedford | 1828 | Jason Filler | Federal | [10] [11] | |||
| Old Berks County Courthouse | Berks | Reading | 1840 | Classical Revival | Old Courthouse as it appeared in 1854 is shown. | ||||
| Berks County Courthouse | Berks | Reading 40.3366°N -75.9254°W | 1932 | Miles Boyer Dechant | Art Deco | [12] [13] | |||
| Blair County Courthouse | Blair | Hollidaysburg 40.4303°N -78.3925°W | 1877 | David S. Glendall | Gothic Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 76001606). It was built in 1875–1876, and is a T-shaped stone building. The entrance is flanked by two square, three-story towers with truncated pyramidal roofs. The building generally features elaborate stonework and a five-story clock tower topped by a tall stone spire. | [14] [15] | ||
| Bradford County Courthouse | Bradford | Towanda 41.7664°N -76.4392°W | 1848 | Israel Lehman, Theodore Schmitt | Renaissance Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 86003573). It was built between 1896 and 1898, and is a four-story, cruciform-shaped building. It has rusticated sandstone exterior walls and a 50-foot diameter octagonal dome atop the roof. It features an entrance portico supported by Tuscan order columns. | [16] [17] | ||
| Old Bucks County Courthouse | Bucks | Doylestown | 1878 | Addison Hutton | Romanesque Revival | ||||
| Bucks County Courthouse | Bucks | Doylestown | 1962 | Carroll, Grisdale & Van Alen and Fred F. Martin | Modern | [18] [19] | |||
| Old Butler County Courthouse | Butler | Butler | 1807 | unknown | Classical Revival | ||||
| Butler County Courthouse | Butler | Butler 40.8583°N -79.8961°W | 1885 | James P. Bailey | High Victorian Gothic | NRHP-listed (refnum 77001132). It was built in 1885, and is a three-story, brick and sandstone building. It features a large central, four-faced clock tower with two double pyramid shaped roofs. It is the tallest structure in downtown Butler. The first and second floors are designed to be gothic and art deco with several crown moldings, domed ceilings, marble floors and walls, and woodwork. | [20] [21] | ||
| Cambria County Courthouse | Cambria | Ebensburg 40.4836°N -78.7247°W | 1882 | Milton Earl Beebe | NRHP-listed (refnum 80003449). It was built in 1880–1881, and is a -story, brick building. It features a mansard roof. Henry Shenk constructed it at a cost of $109,962. The building is a parallelogram with a 120 ft. of frontage on Center St. with a depth of 80 ft. The height to the eaves of the roof is 48 ft. The mansard slate roof has porthole dormers and elaborate chimneys and a decorative bracketed cornice. The central pavilion has flanking pilasters supporting a classic portico. Courtroom 1 was added in 1923. It is one of the largest courtrooms in the United States, with 500 seats. | [22] [23] | |||
| Cameron County Courthouse | Cameron | Emporium | 1890 | A.S. Wagner | Romanesque Revival | [24] [25] | |||
| Carbon County Courthouse | Carbon | Jim Thorpe 40.8637°N -75.7381°W | 1893 | L.S. Jacoby | Romanesque Revival | [26] [27] | |||
| Centre County Courthouse | Centre | Bellefonte 40.9122°N -77.7769°W | 1805 | Ezra Ale | Greek Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 76001618). The original section was built in 1805. It is a rectangular brick building on a stone foundation, measuring 135 feet long by 60 feet wide. The building is faced in stucco and has a gable roof topped by a cupola. It features an entry porch with eight 26 foot high smooth faced columns with Ionic order capitals. The porch was added in 1835. | [28] [29] | ||
| Old Chester County Courthouse | Chester | Chester 39.8478°N -75.3599°W | 1724 | unknown | German Colonial | NRHP-listed (refnum 71000702). Chester, Pennsylvania is the former county seat for Chester County, Pennsylvania, one of the three counties in the Province of Pennsylvania laid out by William Penn. It is the oldest courthouse still standing in the United States. The courthouse is stories high with no basement and 2 foot thick walls. The south and east facades of the building are hewn stone with the other two built of rubble stone. The Quaker influence on the building can be seen in the two front doors, one for men and the other for women. The interior measures 31 by 36 feet. The first level has a stone floor court room divided by a low wooden railing that was designed to separate the judges and lawyers from court observers. There are no fireplaces on the first floor but both the jury room and petit jury room on the second floor have fireplaces. The cupola on the courthouse contained a bell that was cast in London and added in 1729. The court room was the oldest active court in use in the United States until 1967. | |||
| Chester County Courthouse | Chester | West Chester 39.9599°N -75.605°W | 1846 | Thomas U. Walter | Greek Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 72001109). It was built in 1846 at a cost of $55,346. Walter also designed the dome of the United States Capitol. An addition, designed by T. Roney Williamson and constructed from Indiana Limestone, was added in 1893. Another addition was added in 1966. Ground was broken in early 1846, and the cornerstone was placed on July 4; the courthouse was completed in late 1847, with the total cost of the project reaching $55,345.98. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 5, 1972, and located in the West Chester Downtown Historic District. | [30] [31] | ||
| Old Clarion County Courthouse | Clarion | Clarion | ca. 1865 | Italianate | |||||
| Clarion County Courthouse | Clarion | Clarion 41.2153°N -79.3858°W | 1885 | E.M. Butz | Queen Anne | NRHP-listed (refnum 79002208). The courthouse was built between 1883 and 1885, and is a -story, brick Victorian structure with Classical details measuring 78 feet, 8 inches, wide and 134 feet deep. It has a 213-foot-tall, 25-feet-square, clock tower. Two earlier courthouses were built on the site: the first was completed in 1843, the second in 1863. Both were built of brick and both were destroyed by fire. The second courthouse burned down on September 12, 1882. The architect was E.M. Butz of Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh) who designed the building in the Queen Anne style and the supervising architect was D. English of Brockville. Henry Warner of Allegheny painted the frescos. The floor tiling was laid by the Star Encaustic Tile Company of Pittsburgh and the Howard Clock Company of New York supplied the 9-foot diameter clock dial and the 1313 pound bell. A galvanized iron sculpture called the "Lady of Justice", standing 9 feet 11 inches tall on top of the clock tower, is of unknown origin. The "Lady of Justice" was restored in 1981. About 25 bullet holes were in the statue and her left arm was missing. | [32] [33] | ||
| Clearfield County Courthouse | Clearfield | Clearfield 41.0222°N -78.4378°W | 1860 | Cleaveland and Bachus | NRHP-listed (refnum 79002210). It is a -story brick structure constructed in 1860. An addition was completed in 1884. It features a square brick clock tower with a bell shaped roof. | [34] [35] | |||
| Clinton County Courthouse | Clinton | Lock Haven | 1867 | Samuel Sloan, Addison Hutton | Romanesque Revival | [36] [37] | |||
| Columbia County Courthouse | Columbia | Bloomsburg 41.0032°N -76.457°W | 1890 | A.S. Wagner | Romanesque Revival | [38] [39] | |||
| Old Crawford County Courthouse | Crawford | Meadville | 1870 | Classical Revival | Pennsylvania Historical Marker Text: At the South Ward schools, Elias Allen tried unsuccessfully to enroll his two children. He appealed to the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas, and Judge Pearson Church declared unconstitutional the 1854 state law mandating separate schools for Negro children. This law was amended, effective July 4, 1881, to prohibit such segregation. | ||||
| Crawford County Judicial Center | Photo found at this reference:[40] | Crawford | Meadville 41.6387°N -80.1495°W | 2017 | Postmodern | [41] [42] | |||
| Old Cumberland County Courthouse | Cumberland | Carlisle | 1846 | Daniel E. Witt, Samuel Bryan, Jr. | Classical Revival | On July 1, 1863, the Confederate Army, under the command of General J.E.B. Stuart, demanded that the Union surrender and General William Smith replied, "shell and be damned." The Confederates then shelled the town and one of the columns at the courthouse bears the mark of the artillery barrage. Following the attack, General Robert E. Lee ordered the Confederate unit to the Battle of Gettysburg. The courthouse was also critical for the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. One runaway slave case at the courthouse resulted in the largest fine assessed from a federal fugitive slave system. Another case fueled a riot in 1847 that resulted in the death of a southern slave-holder, the first death of a slave-holder North of the Mason-Dixon Line.[43] | |||
| Cumberland County Courthouse | Cumberland | Carlisle | 1961 | Lawrie and Green | Modern | [44] [45] | |||
| Old Dauphin County Courthouses | Dauphin | Harrisburg 40.2605°N -76.8813°W | 1799, 1860 | unknown | Pennsylvania Historical Marker Text: Two Dauphin County Courthouses occupied this site. The first, built 1792–99, served as the State House for the Pennsylvania Legislature from 1812 to 1821. It was removed in 1860. The second stood here from 1860 to 1948. (The 1792 courthouse in the illustration is shown in 1858.) | ||||
| Dauphin County Courthouse | Dauphin | Harrisburg 40.2583°N -76.8825°W | 1942 | Lawrie and Green | Art Deco | NRHP-listed (refnum 93000723). The current courthouse was designed in 1940. The interior artwork was done by sculptor C. Paul Jennewein. | [46] [47] | ||
| Pennsylvania Judicial Center | Dauphin | Harrisburg 40.265°N -76.8822°W | 2010 | New Classical | This contains the Commonwealth Court's sole courtroom in the state. | ||||
| Pennsylvania State Capitol Building | Dauphin | Harrisburg 40.2644°N -76.8836°W | 1906 | Joseph Miller Huston | Beaux Arts | The Supreme Court, and the Superior Court meet at different times of the year in courtrooms in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. The Superior Court also occasionally holds sessions in other parts of the state. The Supreme and Superior Court Chamber in the capitol building is used by both courts and was designed using ancient Greek and Roman themes. It is located on the fourth floor of the capitol, on the east side of the rotunda. A cycle of 16 panels, painted between 1917 and 1927, begins and ends with Divine Law as its keystone, over the main entrance. Around the room clockwise the murals represent the Law of Nature; Greek, Hebrew, and Christian Revealed Law; Roman Law of Reason; English Common Law; William Penn as Law-Giver; State, National, and International law, and finally, the Spirit of Divine Law. A stained-glass dome, designed by Pennsylvania native Alfred Godwin, is in the center of the ceiling. | |||
| Old Delaware County Courthouse | Delaware | Media | 1851 | Samuel Sloan | Classical Revival | ||||
| Delaware County Courthouse | Delaware | Media | 1913 | Classical Revival | [48] [49] | ||||
| Elk County Courthouse | Elk | Ridgway | 1879 | J.H. Marston | Second Empire | The courthouse is red brick with sandstone. The tower originally supported a statue of Justice, which was destroyed by lightning in the 1930s. The interior was modernized in about 1969. | [50] [51] | ||
| Erie County Courthouse | Erie | Erie 42.1293°N -80.088°W | 1855 | Thomas Ustick Walter | Classical Revival | [52] [53] | |||
| Fayette County Courthouse | Fayette | Uniontown | 1890 | E.M. Butz, William Kaufman | [54] [55] | ||||
| Forest County Courthouse | Forest | Tionesta | 1870 | Keene Vaughn | Plain | A simple brick building with stone accents. It has a Palladian window above the entrance, and a simulated pediment with a small lunette. The interior has been modernized.[56] | [57] [58] | ||
| Old Franklin County Courthouse | Franklin | Chambersburg 41.2153°N -79.3858°W | 1842 | Greek Revival | Image shows courthouse after the Raid on Chambersburg and destruction by Confederate troops on July 30, 1864. It was the second county courthouse on the site. | ||||
| Franklin County Courthouse | Franklin | Chambersburg 41.2153°N -79.3858°W | 1865 | S. Hutton | Greek Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 74001784). The building was designed and built around the remaining walls and columns left from the courthouse destroyed in 1864. It stands two and half stories high, and is built of brick. There are fifty-four windows, twenty-two on each side and five each front and back. It features a domed clock cupola with a statue of Benjamin Franklin on top. There are also six symmetrically placed chimneys on the roof. | [59] [60] | ||
| Fulton County Courthouse | Fulton | McConnellsburg | 1851 | Jacob Stoner | Greek Revival | [61] [62] | |||
| Grant Building | Allegheny | Pittsburgh 40.4375°N -79.9975°W | 1929 | Henry Hornbostel | Art Deco | Location for the Pittsburgh sessions of the Superior Court. | |||
| Greene County Courthouse | Greene | Waynesburg | 1852 | Samuel and John Bryan | Classical Revival | [63] [64] | |||
| Huntingdon County Courthouse | Huntingdon | Huntingdon | 1883 | Milton Earl Beebe | Second Empire | [65] [66] | |||
| Old Indiana County Courthouse | Indiana | Indiana 40.6231°N -79.1519°W | 1869 | James W. Drum | Second Empire, Italianate | NRHP-listed (refnum 74001788). The courthouse was built between 1869 and 1870. It was the second courthouse to serve the county, with the first demolished in 1868. The final cost of the project was $150,000. The architecture is primarily red brick and stone. The roof was designed in the Mansard style. The courthouse features a gold leaf cupola clocktower with four faces. The main courtroom, located on the second floor measured 100feet by 82feet, with a 30feet ceiling. The large clock in the cupola was the largest in the county at the time. The courthouse held its final session on November 11, 1970. Today, the entire bell tower is supported by scaffolding set up in the main court room of the building, due to the age of the building's supports. | |||
| Indiana County Courthouse | Indiana | Indiana | 1968 | Lawrie and Green | Modern | [67] [68] | |||
| Jefferson County Courthouse | Jefferson | Brookville | 1869 | James W. Drum | Italianate | [69] [70] | |||
| Old Juniata County Courthouse | Juniata | Mifflintown | 1833 | unknown | Classical Revival | See this reference for the Courthouse Brochure[71] | |||
| Juniata County Courthouse | Juniata | Mifflintown | 1875 | L.M. Simon | Classical Revival | See this reference for the Courthouse Brochure | [72] [73] | ||
| Lackawanna County Courthouse | Lackawanna | Scranton 41.4081°N -75.6628°W | 1884 | Isaac G. Perry | Romanesque Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 97001257). The courthouse was built in 1884, and is a -story rectangular masonry building, with a raised basement. The building measures approximately 100feetby140feetft (byft). It features a five-story clock tower. Pennsylvania Historical Marker Text: In May 1902, 150,000 mineworkers struck for six months for union recognition, higher wages, shorter hours, and other demands. The Anthracite Coal Strike Commission, set up by President Theodore Roosevelt, held hearings at the Lackawanna County Courthouse and granted some demands in March 1903. Among the longest in U.S. history, the strike introduced unbiased federal intervention in labor disputes. | [74] [75] | ||
| Old Lancaster County Courthouse | Lancaster | Lancaster 40.0378°N -76.3059°W | 1729 | unknown | Georgian | Pennsylvania Historical Marker Text: Old courthouse stood in the center of this square, 1739–1853. Here Continental Congress met for a day, September 27, 1777, thus making Lancaster one of the capitals of the United States. | |||
| Lancaster County Courthouse | Lancaster | Lancaster 40.0383°N -76.3042°W | 1855 | Samuel Sloan | Romanesque Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 78002415). The original building was built between 1852 and 1855. | [76] [77] | ||
| Lawrence County Courthouse | Lawrence | New Castle 40.9983°N -80.3394°W | 1852 | unknown | Greek Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 78002419). The original building was built between 1850 and 1855, and is a two-story, six-bay-by-three-bay structure. It features a portico with six Ionic order columns and a cupola. | [78] [79] | ||
| Old Lebanon County Courthouse | Lebanon | Lebanon | 1818 | unknown | Federal | ||||
| Lebanon County and City Building (and courthouse) | Photos and information found at this reference:[80] | Lebanon | Lebanon | 1960 | William Lynch Murray | Modern | The Lebanon County and City Building is the home of the Court of Common Pleas. | [81] [82] | |
| Old Lehigh County Courthouse | Lehigh | Allentown 40.6036°N -75.4678°W | 1819 | unknown | Italianate | NRHP-listed (refnum 81000550). The original section was built between 1814 and 1819, and was a -story, stone building with a hipped roof. It was remodeled and enlarged in 1864. | |||
| Lehigh County Courthouse | Lehigh | Allentown | 1965 | Wolf & Hahn | Modern | [83] [84] | |||
| Old Luzerne County Courthouse | Luzerne | Wilkes-Barre | 1856 | Romanesque Revival | |||||
| Luzerne County Courthouse | Luzerne | Wilkes-Barre 41.2514°N -75.8794°W | 1909 | Frederick John Osterling | Classical Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 80003566). The courthouse was built between 1906 and 1909. It is a cruciform plan building in the style, with a domed central rotunda 53 feet in diameter. It is built of Ohio sandstone, reinforced concrete, and terra cotta. | [85] [86] | ||
| Old Lycoming County Courthouse | Lycoming | Williamsport | 1860 | Samuel Sloan | Italianate | ||||
| Lycoming County Courthouse | Lycoming | Williamsport | 1970 | Wagner, Hartman | Modern | [87] [88] | |||
| Old McKean County Courthouses | McKean | Smethport | 1827, 1851, 1881 | Milton Earl Beebe (1881) | Federal (1851) | The 1851 McKean County Courthouse is pictured | [89] | ||
| McKean County Courthouse | McKean | Smethport 41.8096°N -78.4477°W | 1942 | Thomas K. Hendrix | Classic Revival | [90] [91] | |||
| Mercer County Court House | Mercer | Mercer | 1909 | Owsley Boucherle & Owsley | Beaux Arts | [92] [93] | |||
| Old Mifflin County Courthouse | Mifflin | Lewistown 40.5975°N -77.5756°W | 1843 | NRHP-listed (refnum 76001649). It was built in 1842–1843, and is a -story, brick building. It is three bays wide and the original building measured 48 feet by 82 feet. It was enlarged by 48 feet to the rear in 1878. It features a pedimented entryway with two engaged pilasters and prominent cupola. The courthouse has been updated and restored, with the second floor courtroom restored to a late 19th-century appearance. | |||||
| Mifflin County Courthouse | Photo found at this reference:[94] | Mifflin | Lewistown | 1978 | Jon Spalding | Modern | [95] [96] | ||
| Monroe County Courthouse | Monroe | Stroudsburg 40.9869°N -75.1953°W | 1890 | T. I. Lacey & Son | Romanesque Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 9000097). The original section was built in 1890, and is a three-story, ashlar sandstone and limestone building measuring 65 feet wide and 180 feet long | [97] [98] | ||
| Montgomery County Courthouse | Montgomery | Norristown | 1854 | Schermerhorn and Reinhold | Classical Revival | This courthouse was the location of the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial and conviction in 2018. | [99] [100] | ||
| Montour County Courthouse | Montour | Danville | 1871 | O'Malley | Italianate | [101] [102] | |||
| Northampton County Courthouse | Northampton | Easton | 1861 | C. Graham | Classical Revival | [103] [104] | |||
| Northumberland County Courthouse | Northumberland | Sunbury 40.8617°N -76.7953°W | 1865 | Samuel Sloan | NRHP-listed (refnum 74001800). It is a three-story, brick building. A three-story wing was added in 1911. It features three arched doors on the front facade, brownstone quoins at the corners, and a clock tower with a copper dome. The tower bell was donated by Simon Cameron. In 1878, it was the site of the murder trial and conviction of the last Molly Maguire, Peter McManus. | [105] [106] | |||
| Perry County Courthouse | Perry | New Bloomfield 40.42°N -77.1875°W | 1827 | Jacob Bishop | Greek Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 75001659). The courthouse was built in 1826 and completed the next year. It was extensively altered in 1868. It is a two-story white brick structure, three bays wide and six bays long. The low hipped roof is crowned by a cupola dated to 1826. An annex was completed about 1892. | [107] [108] | ||
| Old Philadelphia County Courthouses | Philadelphia | Philadelphia | 1709, 1789 | Georgian | The first illustration shows the early courthouse built in 1709, and razed in 1837. It was located in the center of what is now Market Street. The second illustration is of the building is known as "Congress Hall" for having housed the US Congress when Philadelphia was capital city of the United States. During the almost ten years it served as the federal capitol building, Congress Hall witnessed many historic events including the admittance of Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee as new states. The United States Bill of Rights was ratified at Congress Hall in 1791. The second Presidential inauguration of George Washington took place in the House chamber in 1793, as did inauguration of John Adams in 1797. Congress also used the time to establish the First Bank of the United States, the Federal Mint, and the United States Department of the Navy. The Jay Treaty, which secured a temporary peace with Great Britain, was also ratified at Congress Hall in 1796. After the capital moved to Washington in 1800, Congress Hall returned to its original function as the Philadelphia County Courthouse and served as the location of both state and federal courts during the early 19th century. | ||||
| Philadelphia City Hall (and courthouse) | Philadelphia | Philadelphia 39.9524°N -75.1636°W | 1901 | John McArthur Jr., Thomas Ustick Walter | Second Empire | NRHP-listed (refnum 76001666). Courtrooms for various trial-level courts, and for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania's Philadelphia sessions, are located in the City Hall. | [109] [110] | ||
| Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice | Philadelphia | Philadelphia 39.9537°N 75.1616°W | 1994 | Postmodern | The Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice (formerly the Criminal Justice Center or CJC) is the main criminal courthouse of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania (which comprises Philadelphia), housing the Criminal Section of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and the Criminal Division of the Philadelphia Municipal Court. It is a 17-story building completed in 1994 to alleviate pressure from courtrooms located in Philadelphia City Hall. The center is located at 1301 Filbert Street. In 2012 it was renamed in honor of the late Justice Juanita Kidd Stout. It is 604,000 square feet with 66 courtrooms, 60 judges' chambers, secure holding / detention cells, and supporting administrative and processing areas. The building is framed in steel with stone and architectural precast cladding. Lobbies, corridors, and other common spaces have high-finish terrazzo floors, interior molded stone, and glass fiber reinforced gypsum ceilings. Courtrooms and chambers have an extensive amount of detailed carpentry in the finishes of wall panels, judge and jury benches, doors, framing, and other millwork. The facility also Includes one of the largest central cooling plants on the east coast, over 5,000 tons.[111] | ||||
| Penn Mutual Building | Philadelphia | Philadelphia 39.9473°N -75.1507°W | 1914 | Edgar Viguers Seeler | Beaux Arts | Located at 530 Walnut Street, it houses the Philadelphia sessions of the Superior Court. | |||
| Old Pike County Courthouse | Pike | Milford | 1815 | unknown | German Colonial | The Old Stone Courthouse in Milford, Pennsylvania was built in 1814-15 and was in use from 1815 to 1874, when the current courthouse, which is located across the street, was completed. The first church services of the First Presbyterian (1823), Methodist (1825) and Episcopal (1866) Churches were held in the courthouse, which also served as the County Jail in 1815. It is located within the Milford Historic District. | |||
| Pike County Courthouse | Pike | Milford 41.3244°N -74.8011°W | 1874 | George Barton | Second Empire | NRHP-listed (refnum 79002340). It was built in 1873, and is a -story, eight-bay-by-six-bay, brick building. It features a projecting front section with pediment and a square cupola. | [112] [113] | ||
| Pittsburgh City-County Building | Allegheny | Pittsburgh 40.4384°N -79.9971°W | 1917 | Henry Hornbostel | Beaux Arts | Location for the Pittsburgh sessions of the Supreme Court. | |||
| Potter County Courthouse | Potter | Coudersport 41.7744°N -78.0206°W | 1853 | William Bell | Greek Revival, Victorian | NRHP-listed (refnum 75001664). The construction began in 1851 and completed in 1853. | [114] [115] | ||
| Old Schuylkill County Courthouse | Schuylkill | Pottsville | 1851 | Federal | |||||
| Schuylkill County Courthouse | Schuylkill | Pottsville | 1892 | Milton Earl Beebe | [116] [117] | ||||
| Snyder County Courthouse | Snyder | Middleburg | 1855, 1915 | J.F. Stetler | Italianate | [118] [119] | |||
| Old Somerset County Courthouse | Somerset | Somerset | 1853 | Classical Revival | |||||
| Somerset County Courthouse | Somerset | Somerset 40.0097°N -79.0781°W | 1906 | J.C. Fuller | Beaux Arts | NRHP-listed (refnum 80003634). Built between 1904 and 1906, it is a two-story building measuring 146 feet by 112 feet, and 135 feet tall. Made of Indiana limestone, it sits on a sandstone foundation. The building has a terra cotta tile roof, and central tower with copper dome. It features a semicircular portico supported by four unfluted Corinthian order. | [120] [121] | ||
| State-wide locations | state-wide | state-wide | variable | variable | variable | Numerous magisterial district courts are located throughout Pennsylvania. They are courts of minor jurisdiction, typically housed in small buildings or even strip-mall store-front type locations for easy access by the public. They handle minor criminal offenses including misdemeanors, infractions such as traffic and non-traffic citations, and petty offenses, as well as civil matters like civil wedding ceremonies and emergency Protection from Abuse petitions. The magisterial district courts also resolve small civil disputes such as breaches of contracts, landlord-tenant issues, and torts, not exceeding a monetary recovery of $12,000 including expenses like lawyer's fees and filing fees. The court pictured is the 07-1-06 Magisterial District Court in Feasterville, Bucks County. | |||
| Sullivan County Courthouse | Sullivan | Laporte 41.4236°N -76.4942°W | 1894 | Wagner and Reitmeyer | NRHP-listed (refnum 78002472). It is a rectangular building measuring approximately 92 feet by 60 feet, built of brick with a slate roof. The building is located in the smallest and highest county seat in Pennsylvania, at an elevation of over 2000feet above sea level. | [122] [123] | |||
| Susquehanna County Courthouse | Susquehanna | Montrose 41.8344°N -75.8764°W | 1855 | William H. Boyd, Avery Frink | Greek Revival | NRHP-listed (refnum 96000706). The original section of the courthouse was built in 1854–1855, and is a three-bay-by-seven-bay, two-story brick structure. It features a pedimented portico with fluted Ionic order columns and five-bay arcade at the first level. It has a shallow gable roof topped by an octagonal cupola. | [124] [125] | ||
| Tioga County Courthouse | Tioga | Wellsboro | 1835 | unknown | Federal | [126] [127] | |||
| Old Union County Courthouse | Union | New Berlin 40.8786°N -76.9867°W | 1815 | unknown | Federal | NRHP-listed (refnum 72001179). It was built in 1815, and renovated in 1855–1857, to convert it to a schoolhouse. It is a -story, brick building, three bays wide and four bays deep with a gable roof. The roof features a center cupola. It was used as a school until 1952. | |||
| Union County Courthouse | Union | Lewisburg | 1855 | Lewis Palmer | Greek Revival | [128] [129] | |||
| Venango County Courthouse | Venango | Franklin | 1868 | Samuel Sloan | Italianate | [130] [131] | |||
| Warren County Courthouse | Warren | Warren 41.8486°N -79.1472°W | 1877 | Milton Earl Beebe | Second Empire | NRHP-listed (refnum 77001198). It was built in 1876–1877, and is a -story, brick and sandstone building. It has a slate covered mansard roof. It measures 72 feet by 122 feet, and has a large 4-sided dome topped by a square clock tower and statue of justice. | [132] | ||
| Washington County Courthouse | Washington | Washington 40.1705°N -80.2458°W | 1900 | Frederick John Osterling | Beaux Arts | NRHP-listed (refnum 74001812). | [133] [134] | ||
| Wayne County Courthouse | Wayne | Honesdale | 1880 | J. A. Wood | Italianate | [135] [136] | |||
| Old Westmoreland County Courthouses | Westmoreland | Greensburg 40.3026°N 79.5446°W | 1787, 1801, 1854 | The first courthouse was used from 1787 to 1801. The second courthouse was demolished in 1854 and the third (pictured) was demolished in 1901. | |||||
| Westmoreland County Courthouse | Westmoreland | Greensburg 40.3026°N 79.5446°W | 1906 | William Kaufman | Beaux Arts | NRHP-listed (refnum 78002485). | [137] [138] | ||
| Wyoming County Courthouse | Wyoming | Tunkhannock | 1870 | D.R. Nott | Italianate | [139] [140] | |||
| Old York County Courthouse | York | York 39.9623°N -76.7274°W | 1754 | unknown | Georgian | A two-story red-colored-brick-and-wood structure on landscaped grounds; reconstructed in 1976.[141] Pennsylvania Historical Marker Text: Continental Congress held its session, September 30, 1777–June 28, 1778 in Courthouse which stood in the center of this square. Here, Treaties with France and Articles of Confederation were adopted. The Articles were our nation's first constitution. Adopted November 15, 1777, in the York County Courthouse, the Articles united the 13 colonies by establishing the government of the United States of America. Remained in effect until replaced by the Constitution in 1789. | |||
| Old York County Courthouse | York | York | 1837 | Classical Revival | |||||
| Old York County Courthouse | York | York | 1900 | John A. Dempwolf | Beaux Arts | The 1900 Courthouse pictured in a 1915 postcard. | |||
| York County Judicial Center | York | York | 2004 | Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum | Postmodern | The building is a "six story red colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The west front has a semi-circular portico with recessed entrance. On the north and south are two story projecting sections. Behind the portico is a sold glass wall with large towers on the north and south sides. The roof line is flat."[142] | [143] [144] |
