Between Cass County's organization in 1872 and 1897, judicial business was conducted in Brainerd, in Crow Wing County. From 1897 until the completion of the Cass County Courthouse in 1907, court took place in rented or makeshift space in Cass County.
Construction of the Cass County Courthouse began in 1902. The original building (pictured above in 1950) cost $29,500 and was built with red brick and lighter stone trim marking out corners and triple windows. It could be described as Italian Renaissance or Beaux-Arts academic, but a top floor added in 1961 made it necessary to remove the original cornice, roof, dome, and lantern. The two-story center atrium was closed and windows were bricked in. New windows, exterior doors and fire doors were also installed at the time. The interior was replastered, and acoustic tile and carpet were added. The original tile floor remains only on the main level. A replica of the Statue of Liberty was removed from the roof and placed on the grounds.
A brick block addition of 15,319 square feet was built to the north in 1976 at a cost of $880,590 to house various county offices.
The Cass County Courthouse as it looked in 1908.
Historical information adapted from "The First 100 Years... The Minnesota State Bar Association."
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