Champaign County, Ohio

Founding: March 1, 1805
Parent counties: Franklin and Greene

Namesake: The French word champagne ("plain")
Seat: Springfield (1805–1807); Urbana (1807–)

Land area: 429 square miles

Population (2010): 40,097

Population (historic): 6,303 (1810); 19,782 (1850); 27,817 (1880); 24,103 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1810–1860; 1870s; 1940–1960; 1970s; 1990s

Subdivisions: One city; six villages; one CDP; 12 townships

National Register listings: 32

Income (per capita): $23,438

Income (median household): $49,246
Business establishments: 594 (67.5 people per business)
Pre-1939 residences (estimated): 4,799 (28.7%)
Vacant houses: 1,550 (9.3%)
Sources of settlement: Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Vermont, and Connecticut

Urbana

Named for: Unclear—likely derived from the Latin word urbs ("city")

Founding: 1805 (platting); 1809 (post office)

Population (2010): 11,793

Population (historic): 644 (1820); 3,429 (1860); 6,808 (1900); 7,742 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1810–1830; 1840–1880; 1900s; 1930–1970
Typology: Grid (with interrupting public square)

Courthouse Prehistory

- In Springfield, the Champaign County government met at the home of George Fithian.

- Between 1948 and 1957, a modified sanitarium functioned as a temporary courthouse.

First Courthouse

Location: East Court Street (Urbana)

Construction: 1807

Years of service: 1807–1817

Typology: Single-pen; log; two-story

Style: None

Builder: Unknown

Cost: Unknown

Status: Razed

Features of note: Appearance unknown.

Second Courthouse

Location: Public Square (Urbana)

Construction: 1814–1817

Years of service: 1817–1840

Typology: Cubic; brick; two-story

Style: Federal (?)

Builder: Unknown

Cost: Unknown

Status: Razed

Features of note: Central cupola.

Third Courthouse

Location: North Main Street (Urbana)

Construction: 1838–1840 / 1879–1880 / 1903

Years of service: 1840–1948

Typology: Center-hall (rectangular); stone; two-story

Style: Romanesque

Architects: Hall and Sheldon / David W. Gibbs (renovation)

Cost: Unknown

Status: Razed (burned in 1948)

Features of note: Mansard-roofed tower (with pedimented dormers, an entablature, and pilasters), topped by a statue of Lady Justice; three-bay facade; massive fanlight; divided bays; Classical Revival porch.

For photos, see this page.

Fourth Courthouse

Location: 200 North Main Street (Urbana)

Construction: 1956–1957

Years of service: 1957–

Typology: Monumental (rectangular); brick; three-story

Style: None

Architect: Phillip Partridge

Cost: $650,000 ($5,959,264 in 2017 dollars)

Status: Extant; functional

Features of note: None. Blech.


Sources: Wikipedia; Courthouse History; United States Census Bureau; History of Champaign County, Ohio (Bowen, 1917).