Chardon Business District / Geauga County Courthouse

Side A: This block of Main Street overlooks the Geauga County Courthouse, which was built in 1869. The courthouse and the Main Street buildings, together which compose a district that has been entered on the National Register of Historic Places, are excellent examples of the High Victorian Italianate architectural style. Going north from Court Street, the first two buildings were erected in 1873. The Opera House dates from 1875. The jail was constructed in 1868 just after the fire, followed by the new jail of 1874, and the sheriff’s house of 1909. Memorial Hall (now the Courthouse Annex) dates from 1875. Last on the block is the Victorian Gothic Church built in 1882. Side B: L.J. Randall, builder of the Randall Block on Main Street, was contractor for the courthouse; Joseph Ireland (active in Cleveland 1865-1885) was the architect. Looking at the Geauga County Courthouse, note the square tower which changes to an octagon one full story above the roofline. The courthouse’s cupola reaches 112 feet, and contains an antique clock mechanism renovated in 1996 by the community and Chapter 28-The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. The bandstand on the village public green is a reconstruction of the 1875 original. The bandstand was dedicated by the community in 1981, and the brick memorial walkway was dedicated in 1993.