Brentwood S. Tolan (November 23, 1855 – June 30, 1923) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. His most notable works include the

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

-designated Allen County Courthouse in downtown

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

, the Whitley County Courthouse in

Columbia City, Indiana Columbia City is a city in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 9,892 at the 2020 Census, up from 8,750 at the 2010 Census, estimated to be 10,064 in 2023. The city is the county seat of Whitley County, ...

, the

La Porte County Courthouse The LaPorte County Courthouse is a historic county courthouse in La Porte, Indiana, the county seat of LaPorte County. Previous courthouses were built on this site on 1833, and the second 1847-1848. The current courthouse was designed by Brentw ...

La Porte, Indiana La Porte () is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana metropolitan stat ...

, as well as the now-demolished Old National Bank Building and Masonic Temple and Opera House in Fort Wayne. Tolan was born in

Delphos, Ohio Delphos is a city in Allen and Van Wert counties in the U.S. state of Ohio approximately 14 mi (23 km) northwest of Lima and 13 mi (21 km) east of Van Wert. The population was 7,117 at the 2020 census. The Allen County ...

to Thomas J. and Harriet Skinner Tolan. With little formal art training, he apprenticed under his father, a marble craftsman-turned architect, starting in 1872 at age 17. In 1874, his father moved the family and architectural practice to

. After his father's death in 1883, Tolan continued the family architectural practice in Fort Wayne. He became well known during the

Progressive Era The Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) was a period in the United States characterized by multiple social and political reform efforts. Reformers during this era, known as progressivism in the United States, Progressives, sought to address iss ...

in the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

area of the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

for designing municipal and local government buildings, including

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

s and jails. He later moved to

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in Allen County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,579. It is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75, appr ...

, where he practiced with the firm DeCurtin, Rawson, and Tolan. He is buried in Delphos.

National Register of Historic Places

T.J. Tolan & Son, Architects * Davis County Courthouse,

Bloomfield, Iowa Bloomfield is a city and the county seat of Davis County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Bloomfield was incorporated on January 3, 1855. On October 12, 1864 a small group of ...

(added May 3, 1974) *

Van Wert County Courthouse The Van Wert County Courthouse is a historic governmental building in downtown Van Wert, Ohio, United States. Located at 121 E. Main Street, the courthouse is a Second Empire structure built in 1876. It is Van Wert County's third courthouse ...

Van Wert, Ohio Van Wert is a city in Van Wert County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in northwestern Ohio approximately southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo and southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The population was 11,092 at the 2020 Unit ...

(added July 30, 1974) *Holmes County Sheriff's Residence and Jail,

Millersburg, Ohio Millersburg is a village in Holmes County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located south of Cleveland, it is in the heart of Ohio's Amish Country and is part of a large regional tourism industry. The population was 3,151 at the 2020 ...

(added July 25, 1974) *Morrow County Sheriff's Residence and Jail,

Mount Gilead, Ohio Mount Gilead is a village in and the county seat of Morrow County, Ohio, United States. It is located northeast of Columbus. The population was 3,503 at the 2020 census. It is the center of population of Ohio. The village was established in 1 ...

(added July 25, 1974) *

La Grange County Courthouse LaGrange County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located on Detroit Street in LaGrange, LaGrange County, Indiana. It was designed by Thomas J. Tolan, & Son, Architects of Fort Wayne, Indiana and built in 1878–1879. It is a two-story, rectang ...

, Lagrange, Indiana (added July 17, 1980) *First United Methodist Church, Van Wert, Ohio (added 1982) *Noble County Sheriff's Residence and Jail,

Albion, Indiana Albion is a town in Albion and Jefferson townships, Noble County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,349 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Noble County. History Albion was laid out in 1846. The town was named ...

(added December 27, 1982) * Kosciusko County Courthouse,

Warsaw, Indiana Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Warsaw has a population of 15,804 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Warsaw also borders a smaller town, Winona Lake. Etymology Warsaw, named after the capital of ...

(added March 1, 1982) *

Parke County Courthouse Parke may refer to: People * Benjamin Parke, 19th-century lawyer, soldier and politician in Indiana * Ernest Parke (1860-1944), British journalist and editor * Evan Parke, Jamaican actor * Henry Parke (1790–1835), English architect * Hervey Pa ...

Rockville, Indiana Rockville is a town in Adams Township, Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Parke County. It is known as "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World". History Roc ...

(added May 27, 1993) *McCulloch-Weatherhogg Double House,

(added 2001) * Henry County Courthouse,

Cambridge, Illinois Cambridge is a village and the county seat of Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,086 at the 2020 census. History After European-American settlement in this area and before 1843, Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury owned a large plot ...

(added August 20, 2004) Brentwood S. Tolan, Architect * Allen County Courthouse,

(added May 28, 1976) *

LaPorte County Courthouse The LaPorte County Courthouse is a historic county courthouse in La Porte, Indiana, the county seat of LaPorte County. Previous courthouses were built on this site on 1833, and the second 1847-1848. The current courthouse was designed by Brentw ...

LaPorte, Indiana La Porte () is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana metropolitan stat ...

* Whitley County Courthouse,

Decurtin, Rawson, and Tolan * Argonne Hotel,

(added October 7, 1982)

National Historic Landmark

Brentwood S. Tolan, Architect * Allen County Courthouse,

(added July 31, 2003)

Images

Image:Fort-wayne-indiana-courthouse.jpg, Allen County Courthouse, Fort Wayne, Indiana File:Kosciusko County Courthouse from southeast near sunset.jpg, Kosciusko County Courthouse, Warsaw, Indiana Image:Lagrange-indiana-courthouse.jpg, LaGrange County Courthouse, LaGrange, Indiana Image:Laporte County Indiana courthouse 2.jpg, La Porte County Courthouse, La Porte, Indiana Image:Rockville, IN.jpg, Parke County Courthouse, Rockville, Indiana Image:Columbia-city-indiana-courthouse.jpg, Whitley County Courthouse, Columbia City, Indiana Image:Bloomfield Iowa.JPG, Davis County Courthouse, Bloomfield, Iowa, Image:Argonne Hotel.JPG, Argonne Hotel, Lima, Ohio Image:Mount-gilead-ohio-jail.jpg, Morrow County Jail and Sheriff's Residence, Mount Gilead, Ohio Image:Van-wert-ohio-courthouse2.jpg, Van Wert County Courthouse, Van Wert, Ohio

External links

Whitley County Courthouse photo
* ttp://www.daviscountycourthouse.com Davis County Courthouse Preservation {{DEFAULTSORT:Tolan, Brentwood S. 1855 births 1923 deaths Architects from Ohio Architects from Fort Wayne, Indiana People from Delphos, Ohio People from Lima, Ohio 19th-century American architects 20th-century American architects