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."
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