The Old Tolland County Courthouse is a historic former
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, ...
at 53 Tolland Green in
Tolland, Connecticut
Tolland ( ) is a suburban town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 14,563 at the 2020 census.
History
Tolland was named in May 1715, and incorporated in May 172 ...
. Built in 1822 it was used as a county courthouse until the 1890s. It housed the
Tolland Public Library from 1899 to 1985. Now a history
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
operated by the
Tolland Historical Society,
the building was listed on 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 1977.
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Description and history
The Old Tolland County Courthouse is located on the west side of the Tolland Green, roughly at the junction of Connecticut Routes 195
Year 195 ( CXCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Scrapula and Clemens (or, less frequently, year 948 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 195 f ...
and 74. Build in the neoclassical Federal style
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...
, the courthouse a -story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior with a Palladian window
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Republic of Venice, Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetr ...
. The roof is topped by a two-story tower, with a square base and an octagonal louvered belfry capped by a round cupola. The main building facade is three bays wide, with corner pilasters rising to an entablature and gabled pediment. The main entrance is flanked by pilasters and topped by a half-round transom window and gabled pediment. The interior has been restored, with the second floor resembling its original appearance as a courtroom.
The courthouse was built in 1822, when Tolland was the county seat of Tolland County
Tolland County ( ) is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on October 13, 1785, from portions of east ...
. The courthouse remained in service as such until 1890, when county courts mostly moved to Rockville. Starting in 1899, the courthouse housed the town's public library. In 1930, the courthouse was sold for $1 to Samuel Simpson, who promptly donated the building to the Tolland Public Library Association. The building continued to house the probate courts for Tolland and neighboring Ellington until 1960.
The courthouse served as the Tolland Public Library until 1985, when the library moved to the renovated and expanded Hicks Municipal Building and Library Complex, formerly the Hicks Memorial School. In 2001, the Tolland Public Library Association donated the courthouse to the Tolland Historical Society, which oversaw its restoration and conversion to a museum.
See also
*
References
External links
Old Tolland County Courthouse
- Tolland Historical Society
{{National Register of Historic Places
Tolland, Connecticut
Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Buildings and structures in Tolland County, Connecticut
County courthouses in Connecticut
Museums in Tolland County, Connecticut
History museums in Connecticut
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut