Location: 109 West Main Street / North Church Street
Built: 1904 – 1905
Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: Frank Pierce Milburn of Washington, DC
Contractor: Stephenson & Getaz of Knoxville, Tennessee
Description: The building faces southeast and is a two story gray colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Marion. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Marion. The building is “T” shaped. The southeast front has a large porch with eight Ionic columns rising to a wide header at the roof line. There is a balcony on the second story. A wide cornice runs below the roof line. On the center of the hipped roof is a large flat octagonal dome. In the interior is the lobby rotunda with stained glass dome. The courtroom is behind the lobby. There is an iron and marble staircase. The interior originally featured an auditorium known as the “Court Square Theater” for public performances. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County General District Court and County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of the 28th Judicial Circuit. An addition was constructed on the north side in 1974. The architect was Echols-Sparger & Associates and the contractor was Lincoln Builders Supply, Company, Inc. Further additions were added in 1976 and 2012 when the architect was Moseley Architects. An addition was constructed in 2016. The architect was Mosley Associates and the contractor was Burnwell Construction Company.
History: The county was created in 1832 and Marion was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built by Thomas W Mercer and John Dameron in Marion in 1834. The courthouse was razed and the Francis Opera House on Main Street was used until the second and present courthouse was constructed in 1905 to 1906 at a cost of $48,082.
SOURCE: American Courthouses