Courthouse Complex

Between 600-1200 this was the site of the Effigy Mounds built by Native American people living here during the Woodland period. There were 7 mounds in geographic shapes and one giant turtle mound. These earthen mounds were lost under new development, beginning in the 1840s, with none remaining today.

The first Waukesha County Courthouse was completed on this site in 1849 after Waukesha separated from Milwaukee County in 1846. A jail was built in 1847. With growth of the community, the courthouse ran out of room and an office building was constructed in 1860.

Continued growth in the county during the late 19th century led to the construction of a new courthouse in 1893. Architects Rau and Kirsch of Milwaukee designed it in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, featuring local Lannon stone. This matches the stone used for the jail, rebuilt in 1885.

The courthouse became home to the Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum in 1914. A connector building between the courthouse and jail was completed in 1938 through a Works Progress Administration project. The building is in the industrialist style, with some Art Deco detailing.

The county courts, departments, and jail moved in 1959 to a larger site on Moreland Boulevard. Some county departments remained in the complex including public works and the coroner. The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission rented parts of the building for many years. In 2002 the Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum purchased the complex.

The entire complex was rehabilitated for adaptive reuse from 2015-2018 by Historic Prairieville Ltd. Fully restored it is home to Historic Courthouse 1893 (event venue), the Martin Street Apartments, and the Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum.