Douglas County | US Courthouses

Douglas County is named for Stephen Arnold Douglas, a United States Senator, statesman, and leader of the Democratic Party.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Otter Tail County

E – Todd County

S – Pope County

W – Grant County

Created: March 8, 1858

County Seat:

Alexandria 1866 – present

County Courthouse – Alexandria

Location: 305 Eight Avenue West / Elm Street

Built: 1894 – 1895

Style: Romanesque Revival

Architect: Buechner & Jacobson

Contractor: Hinkley & Powers

Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Alexandria and was constructed on land donated in 1875 by Mrs. Hicks. The building has a high central square tower with gabled roof. The entrance is recessed with steps and the base is brownstone and red colored brick. Across the north front are four bays with parapets. The main entrance of the courthouse consists of two sets of rectangular double leaf oak doors with transoms and sidelights, separated by an interior foyer. The building was designed to house eight offices on the first level and five offices and a courtroom on the second level. The interior is decorated with light oak paneled wainscoting, tiled floors, oak woodwork with architrave molding, ornate carved oak counters, and some interior fireplaces. An oak stairway with turned balusters leads to the second story. Formerly the two County District Court courtrooms were furnished with carved oak benches and desks and had oak woodwork with architraves, dentils, and keystones. Now there is a small meeting room on the east side where the courtroom was located. An addition was added on the north front in 1940. On the south side is an addition added in 1972 to 1974. The architect was Foss, Engelstad and Foss of Fargo, North Dakota and the contractor was Edlund Construction Company of Valley City, North Dakota. On the east side is the County Judicial Facilities constructed in 1984 to 1986.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Doughlas County Courthouse

County Judicial Facilities – Alexandria

Location: 720 Elm Street / Eight Avenue West

Built: 1984 – 1986

Style: Modern

Architect: Patch Erikson Madson Watten Inc.

Contractor: Bob Resset Inc.

Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Alexandria on the east and south sides of the courthouse. The roof line is flat. In the interior there is a spacious entrance lobby on the first story. On the second story are three County District courtroom along the east side. The building was further expanded and remodeled in 2015. The architect was Klein McCarthy of Minneapolis and the contractor was Contigrity Group of Little Falls. The building is connected to the courthouse on the west side.

See: The 7th Judicial District includes Becker County, Benton County, Clay County, Mille Lacs County, Morrison County, Otter Tail County, Stearns County, Todd County and Wadena County.

History: The county was created in 1855 and Alexandria was selected as the county seat in 1866. The first county offices met in private homes. The first courthouse in 1867 was a small frame building on Main Street. The second courthouse was a two story frame structure designed by J N Herder and built by Raymond and Owen of St Cloud at a cost of $3,447. The second story was used as the courtroom. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1894 to 1895 at a cost of $35,000. The County Judicial Facilities was constructed in 1984 to 1986.