Sauk County Courthouse

The current Sauk County Courthouse is, in fact, the fourth building that has been given that designation. The building was designed by Ferry & Clas, a Milwaukee architectural firm, of which one of the partners was Alfred Clas who was born in Sauk City in 1859. The selection of Ferry & Clas to design the Courthouse was no doubt due in part to this local connection.

The County Board passed the resolution to build the new Courthouse in November, 1904, and on December 27, 1904, the old Courthouse was completely destroyed by fire. It would take 20 months to complete construction of the Courthouse which was dedicated on August 18, 1906.

The new Courthouse was architecturally beautiful. Main halls were paved with marble, while offices and workrooms were covered with cork to make them noiseless. Heavy oak and birch moldings adorned every doorway and arched ceilings, heavy plaster moldings and carved brackets added to the elegance of the interior.

The 1905-1906 Courthouse served the needs of the people of Sauk County for more than 100 years. Although county government would eventually outgrow the building, it has always remained as the architectural centerpiece and symbol of Sauk County government. In 1961 the County Board decided to build an addition to the building to provide more court rooms, court-related offices, sheriff's office and jail. The county once again expanded by building the West Square Building in 1995 which is connected to the historic Courthouse by an underground tunnel.

(Picture and information taken in part from The Sauk County Court House: Symbol of Progress written by Paul Wolter, copyright 2006.)

Location

515 Oak Street
Baraboo , WI 53913