The Centre County Courthouse is a historic

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, ...

located in the Bellefonte Historic District in Bellefonte,

Centre County, Pennsylvania Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County is composed of the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1976. ''Note:'' This includes

History and features

The original section of the courthouse was built in 1805, with additions and / or remodeling in 1835, 1854–55, 1909, and 1963–64. 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 In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

. It features a

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

style entry porch with eight 26 foot high smooth faced columns with

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...

capitals. The porch was added in 1835. Located in the Bellefonte Historic District, it was added to the

in 1976. In June 2012, it was the site of the trial of

Jerry Sandusky Gerald Arthur Sandusky (born January 26, 1944) is an American convicted serial child molester and retired college football coach. Sandusky served as an assistant coach for his entire career, mostly at Pennsylvania State University under J ...

in the

Penn State sex abuse scandal The Penn State child sex abuse scandal concerned allegations and subsequent convictions of child sexual abuse committed by Jerry Sandusky, an assistant coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, over a period of at least fifteen year ...

References

External links

Courthouse: Virtual Walking Tour of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association website
{{authority control 1805 establishments in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Centre County, Pennsylvania County courthouses in Pennsylvania Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Government buildings completed in 1805 Greek Revival architecture in Pennsylvania Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Centre County, Pennsylvania

History and features

See also

References

External links