Freeborn County Courthouse, 411 South Broadway, Albert Lea, Minnesota
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Freeborn County Courthouse | |
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| Address: | 411 Broadway S |
| City/locality- State/province |
Albert Lea, Minnesota |
| County- State/province: |
Freeborn County, Minnesota |
| State/province: | Minnesota |
| Country: | United States |
| Year built: | 1888 |
| Primary Style: | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Major Alterations: | Altered |
| Historic Function: | Courthouse |
| Current Function: | Courthouse |
| Architect or source of design: | C.A. Dunham |
| Builder: | Alexander McNeill |
| Material of Exterior Wall Covering: | Brick |
| Material of Foundation: | Limestone |
(43.667394° N, 93.577249° W)
The original building, 1966, started crumbling withing 22 years and a new courthouse was in need. It was built on the same spot in 1888 of local materials. A modern addition at the time was an electrical water pump which supplied water to some of the rooms.
History
A second addition was designed by Foss, Englestad and Foss of Fargo and built in 1975 by Adolphson & Peterson, Inc. of Minneapolis. The utilitarian three-story addition cost $2 million. In 1979, the exterior of the courthouse was renovated.
In 1953, five chimneys and four steeples were eliminated. In 1955, local architect Bernard Hein and contractor John F. Hanson built a $358,260 addition. The bell tower and its 1,600 pound bell were also removed from the main courthouse. The bell was sold to the Grace Lutheran Church congregation for $100.
