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The Paw Paw City Hall is a government building located at 111 East Michigan Avenue in Paw Paw, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971[2] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[1]

History

Paw Paw City Hall c. 1880

Van Buren County was originally platted in 1829, and in 1837, the Board of Supervisors chose Paw Paw as the county seat.[3] County business was conducted in schools and private buildings for a few years, until the county decided to construct its own building.[4] About $2900 was allocated to contractors Reuben E. Churchill, Stafford Godfrey, and Henry W. Rhodes.[4] Construction began on this building in 1842 at the site of the current Van Buren County Courthouse, and the building was occupied in 1845.[2][3]

In 1900, it was decided to construct a new courthouse for the county,[3] and this structure was moved from its original site to the current location.[2] It was first used as a feed store,[4] then as a youth center during the Great Depression, and is now used as Paw Paw's city hall.[2]

Description

The Paw Paw City Hall is a two-story temple-style Greek Revival structure clad in clapboard with a gable roof.[2] The front facade features a portico with six columns sheltering a double-door front entrance with a Palladian window above.[2]

The building once had a classical cupola on a square base.[2] atop the roof. The cupola was removed in stages, and is now entirely absent.

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Van Buren County Courthouse". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Van Buren County Courthouse Complex". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c John Fedynsky (2010), Michigan's County Courthouses, University of Michigan Press, pp. 176–178, ISBN 9780472117284

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paw_Paw_City_Hall