At a meeting held on January 13, 1874, Cass County Commissioners ordered a special election to be held February 14th to vote on the question of building a courthouse and jail, and the issuance of $10,000 bonds for that purpose. This special election was held at the house of F. Pinkham and resulted with 123 votes for the proposition and 56 against. 

On August 4, 1874, the contract for the erection of the new courthouse and jail was awarded to Whitbeck, Potter & Co. of Minneapolis for the sum $9,773.  The first courthouse was completed by the end of the year and located at the present site of the Northern Pacific Depot. A total of $15,000 was spent on completing and furnishing the building which served as both courthouse and jail. The building was later moved in 1886 to First Avenue South between 7th and 8th Streets and used as a YMCA and then as a boarding house until it was torn down in 1967.

The second courthouse was built in 1884 and its estimated cost was $50,000. It was designed by the architectural firm Daniels & Proctor. The building was under renovation when it burned down on November 17, 1904.

The current Cass County Courthouse was built on the same site as the second courthouse. The original portion of the courthouse opened for business on July 31, 1906. The original building was 70 feet by 109 feet and was built at a cost of $151,000. It was designed by architect Charles E. Bell in a classical revival style and was built with as little wood as possible in keeping with its fireproof construction. It has three floors with a small basement area, most of which is crawl space. The interior courthouse mural paintings were the work of Herman Boerth and a Milwaukee artist known only as G. Peter. 

In 1981 construction on the north addition to the courthouse was started and was completed over several years as funding became available. Like the original courthouse the north addition is three floors but with a full basement. Total cost of the north addition was $1.4 million.

1985 brought about the start of construction of the south addition to the courthouse. This addition is the same height as the rest of the courthouse but has four floors instead of three with a full basement. Cost of the south addition was $2.3 million.

Construction on the west addition to the courthouse began in 2011 and was completed in October 2012. This addition was built on the site of the old county jail and sheriff’s residence. Features of the new addition include 72,000 square feet of space which is utilized among several new courtrooms, various offices & a secured area to move prisoners within. A welcomed feature of the west addition was the underground parking for judges, county department heads and official vehicles.   

In addition, a skyway was constructed over 10th Street to allow for easier passage of county employees and the public between the main courthouse and the annex building, which houses human services and extension services. The cost of the west addition was $16 million. 

The Cass County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1983, and placed on the State Register on May 2, 1986.

Photos and content courtesy of Digital Horizons (North Dakota Histories Collection, ND State Library).