Dane County is named for Nathan Dane, who was a Massachusetts delegate to the Congress of the Confederation and who helped carve Wisconsin out of the Northwest Territory.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Sauk County and Columbia County
E – Dodge County and Jefferson County
S – Rock County and Green County
W – Iowa County and Sauk County
Created: December 7, 1836 
County Seat:
Madison 1839 – present
County Courthouse – Madison
Location: 215 South Hamilton Street / Wilson Street
Built: 2003 – 2005
Style: Modern
Architect: Durrant Architects
Contractor: Miron Construction Company Inc.
Description: The building faces west and is a ten story brick, stone, concrete and glass structure. The building is located in the center of Madison. The building forms a triangle with small square windows. The first story has columns with a recessed glass wall. On the upper section is a large glass wall. The roof is flat. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 4th Judicial Circuit.
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Old County Courthouse – Madison
Location: 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard / Doty Street
Built: 1955 – 1957
Style: Modern
Architect: Holabird, Root and Burgee of Chicago and Law, Law, Potter and Nystrom of Madison
Contractor: B Perni and Sons Inc. of Framingham, Massachusetts
Description: The building faces north and is a seven story concrete and glass structure. Ther building is located in the center of Madison. The north front has a projecting center section with glass doors and cemet grill work on the second level. The roof line is flat. The building servered as a courthouse until 2005 and now serves as the Madisin City Hall.
See: The 5th Judicial District includes Columbia County, Green County, Lafayette County, Rock County and Sauk County.
History: The county was created in 1836 and Madison was selected as the county seat. The court met at different locations. The first courthouse was built in 1849 to 1851 at a cost of $12,000. The second courthouse was a three story structure designed by Henry Koch and constructed by D Stevens in 1883 to 1886 at a cost of $180,000. The third courthouse was constructed in 1955 to 1957. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 2003 to 2005.
See: The Wisconsin Supreme Court is located in the county.
County Courthouse – Madison
Old County Courthouse – Madison
Photos taken 2008 and 2015