Century-old Logan County Courthouse steeped in history and topped in beauty
Part 2: The courthouse dome, a spectacular feature

[January 16, 2018] 

LINCOLN

Judge Lawrence Stringer's book, A History of Logan County 1911 describes the courthouse that was completed and dedicated in 1905:

- One unique feature added that what the previous courthouses did not have was a dome that topped it. Stringer said it is one of the largest domes in the state of Illinois. It has 137 panels. The diameter is 52 feet and the height of the dome is 60 feet from the base to the summit.

The dome is surmounted by a lantern, nine feet in diameter, and about 18 feet in height.

In the dome are four clock dials of glass, each being nine feet in diameter. The dome is covered with copper and the roof is of red tile.]

Stringer said the dome "admits natural light during the day and the artificial light of electricity after the fall of darkness, there being a series of electric arc lights over the glass dome."

Below the edge of the dome are eight paintings of people and places connected with Logan County's origins. The sites depicted in murals are:

• Elkhart Hill

• The original Postville Courthouse

• Mount Pulaski Courthouse

• Lincoln Courthouse of 1857

The portraits are of:

• Abraham Lincoln, the town's namesake

• Dr. John Logan, for whom Abraham Lincoln named Logan County

• Stephen A. Douglas, who debated Abraham Lincoln in the town in 1858

• Soldier and statesman Governor Richard J. Oglesby

The clocks that are on the outside of the dome were not originally going to be part of the structure. The 100th Anniversary booklet says, " A decision was made when the structure was being built not to have a clock on the dome. Late during the construction the decision was reversed by the Board of Supervisors concerning the clock and the Seth Thomas clock with four faces was added to the dome at a cost of $1,596."

A 2004 brochure from the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County said, "The interior dome is insured for $300,000."

Not only is it the largest county courthouse dome in the state, the third-floor courtroom is also believed to be the largest and the longest serving of county courthouses in Illinois.

The cost of the courthouse when completed in 1905 was $157,000. When work on the surrounding grounds was added in, the total cost added up to $205,000.

Preserving a historical structure

Sometime during the 70s, a piece of plaster went through the glass and the courthouse had to be temporarily closed. The interior plaster from the outside of the dome had to be stripped away and replaced before business could resume at the courthouse.

In 1975, the courthouse was renovated and updated.

In December 2017, pieces of the stained glass fell from the dome. Even before that happened, Kevin Bateman, who chairs the Logan County Board's Building and Grounds Committee, had been researching what it would take to repair the dome. He said the dome is in serious need of repair due to aging.

Also, a lightning strike at courthouse during one of the more severe storms earlier this summer was responsible for knocking out power, internet, telephones. The courthouse was temporarily closed for business for more than a day. It may have contributed to the damages.

Falling concrete

Sagging deformed panels at Oculus

Third Floor view of paintings and dome oculus

Logan County Courthouse Christmas Eve 2017

The Building and Grounds Committee has met with Neal Vogel, a principal at Restoric, LLC of Chicago, who has some knowledge of the building's architectural history and what it would take to repair the dome.

At the December 2017 Logan County Board meeting, the board passed an ordinance to expend $158,000 to begin the repairs. This expenditure will pay for putting up scaffolding and taking the stained glass out to be stored. Plexiglas will be put up to help keep the area protected until work can be completed.

Bateman estimates it will take about $3.5 million to repair the dome and its stained-glass interior.

In March, voters in the county will be asked to approve a 0.5 percent public safety sales tax increase. This tax increase will pay for the repairs in addition to some work to expand the county’s public safety complex.

Bateman said at a recent Logan County Board meeting this increase would mean the county would collect an additional 50 cents for every $100 in purchases.

The proposed increase for repairing the dome will help preserve the rich history, beauty and stature of the Logan County Courthouse for years to come.

[Angela Reiners]