Porter County is named for David Porter, who was a Commodore during the War of 1812.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Lake Michigan
E – LaPorte County and Starke County
S – Jasper County
W – Lake County
Created: February 7, 1835 
County Seat:
Valparaiso 1836 – present
County Courthouse – Valparaiso
Location: 16 East Lincoln Way / South Washington Street
Built: 1883 – 1885
Style: Second Empire and Neo-Classical
Architect: J C Cochrane of Chicago, Illinois
Contractor: J D Wilson
Description: The building faces north and is a three story light colored stone structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Valparaiso. The north and south sides have porticos supported by six columns with an iron balustrade balcony at the second story. The third story is recessed with a clock in the center. The base is darker colored stone. The building used to have a stone tower. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court and the County Superior Court of the 2nd Judicial District. The building was remodeled from 1934 to 1937 after a fire in 1934. The architect was Walter Scholar. The building was renovated in 2018 to 2020. The contractors were Gariup Construction of Gary and J W Weintz and Son of South Bend.
See: The 2nd Judicial District includes Benton County and Newton County.
History: The county was created in 1835 and Valparaiso ( Portersville ) was selected as the county seat in 1836. The first court met at the home of John Sayle. The first courthouse was a wooden frame structure built by John D Wilson in 1837 at a cost of $1,250. The second courthouse was a brick Greek Revival style structure built in 1853 at a cost of $13,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1883 to 1885 at a cost of $125,909. The courthouse was damaged by fire in 1934 and repaired from 1934 to 1937 at a cost of $172,000.
County Administration Building – Valparaiso
Location: 155 Indiana Avenue / South Washington
Built: 1991 – 1993
Style: Modern
Architect: Design Organization Inc. and Pierce-Bone-Valavanis-Ritter-Wolf
Contractor: Hagerman Construction Corporation
Description: The building faces north and is a two story concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Valparaiso to the west of the courthouse. The building consists of a southeast rectangular section and a northwest rectangular section with high center connecting tower. The tower has a glass entrance with glass panels on the second story. The roof line is flat.
County Courthouse - Valparaiso
County Administration Building - Valparaiso
Photos taken 2008