The original courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wind toppled the first cupola on the courthouse roof in 1902. Using as much of the wood as possible, the cupola was soon replaced. When it blew off again in the 1950s, that was the end of it. The jail was demolished in the early 1980s.

This building served as the Hubbard County Courthouse from 1900 to 1975.

Before Hubbard County was established, all government dealings in Park Rapids had to be taken to Brainerd, over sixty miles away. Residents lobbied for their own county and, in 1883, legislators created Hubbard County, named after then Governor Lucian Hubbard.

After some political bickering with neighboring town Mantor (later Hubbard), Park Rapids was selected to be the seat of Hubbard County. The first county offices were located in rented rooms around town. In 1890, a two-story building was constructed to house the court and county offices. However, that building, deemed "as unsafe a building as could be devised," was destroyed by fire less than ten years later.

In 1900, county officials commissioned prominent architect Milton E. Beebe to draw up plans for the courthouse's replacement. The two-story red brick building was designed in the Neoclassical style, which was inspired by classical Greek and Roman architecture. This style was often used for public buildings in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1904, a county jail and sheriff's residence were constructed alongside the courthouse. Those smaller buildings have been demolished.

The courthouse remained in use as the seat of Hubbard County government until a new courthouse was built in 1975. The building is currently home to the Hubbard County Historical Society and the Nemeth Art Center.

301 Court Avenue
Park Rapids, MN 56470

Open Site Location on Google Maps
46.9200382475615, -95.0636761086047