Blue Earth County | US Courthouses

Blue Earth County is named for the Blue Earth River, which was named for the blue-green earth found near its mouth and used by the Dakota Native Americans as a pigment.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Nicolett County and Le Sueur County

E – Waseca County

S – Fairbault County and Martin County

W – Watonwan County and Brown County

Created: March 5, 1853

County Seat:

Mankato 1853 – present

County Courthouse – Mankato

Location: 204 South 5th Street / East Walnut Street

Built: 1886 – 1887

Style: French and Italian Renaissance

Architect: Truman Dudley Allen of Healy and Allen of Minneapolis, Minnesota

Contractor: Ring and Tobin of Minneapolis

Description: The building faces west and is a three story buff colored Mankato stone structure. The building is located on a rise surrounded by landscaped grounds in the center of Mankato. The rectangular shaped building is 92 feet by 108 feet with a high square clock tower on the west side with a clock and statue of Lady Justice at the top. The west entrance has a rounded portico with steps on either side and a balcony on top. Corners of the pavilions have two-tiered pilasters with capitols. The windows are arranged in groups of three and capped by segmentally arched tymanums. There are dormers along the hipped roof. The building was renovated in 1919 and in 1929. Major renovations were done in 1960 to 1964. Further renovation was done in 1988. In 1990 to 1991 Schwickert Company removed and repaired the Lady Justice and the clock and carillon were installed by Schulmerich Carillon Company. In 2004, Jetter Clean restored the exterior.

See: The architect Truman Dudley Allen of Minneapolis, Minnesota also designed courthouses in Franklin County and Hardin County, Iowa. Rock County and Steele County, Minnesota, Medina County, Ohio and Richland County. Wisconsin.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Blue Earth County Courthouse

County Justice Center – Mankato

Location: 401 Carver Road / Bassett Drive

Built: 2007 – 2009

Style: Modern

Architect: Paulsen Architects and Klein McCarthy & Company

Contractor: CAM, Inc. ( Construction Analysis & Management, Inc. )

Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick, buff colored stone, glass and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious grounds on the east side of Mankato. The building has a rectangular north wing and a rectangular west wing with the glass paneled entrance at the junction of the wings on the northwest side. There is a curved one story section with four columns. The buff colored stone is along the bottom part of the building with red colored brick above. There is a south wing with the Justice Center Pond on the southeast. The roof line is flat. The County District Court courtrooms are located on the south side of the second story of the south wing. The building houses the County District Court of the 5th Judicial District.

See: The 5th Judicial District includes Brown County, Cottonwood County, Faribault County, Jackson County, Lincoln County, Lyon County, Martin County, Murray County, Nicolett County, Nobles County, Pipestone County, Redwood County, Rock County and Watonwan County.

History: The county was created in 1853 and Mankato was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a one story stone structure built in 1857 and was torn down in 1886. The second courthouse was constructed in 1886 to 1887 at a cost of $125,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 2007 to 2009.