In November 1908, about two years after Mahnomen County was officially established, the county commisioners agreed to issue 10 $1,000 20-year bonds to finance a courthouse. F.W. Kenney of Kenney & Halden of Minneapolis designed the courthouse, which was built by Carl Nelson of Mahnomen in 1910 at a cost of $9,763.
The building is a neo-classic, two-story brick building trimmed with limestone. The front side is three bays wide. The center forms a pavilion set out by brick pilasters that rise to a classic pediment. A cornice defines the top of the second story with a plain parapet rising above it.
In 1975, Mahnomen County remodeled and built an $808,000 addition to the courthouse. The original three arched windows on the second floor have been eliminated.
Historical information adapted from "The First 100 Years... The Minnesota State Bar Association."Return to Mahnomen County District Court