Courthouse Location
100 Courthouse Square
Sullivan, IN 47882
[contact information]

Courthouse Hours
Monday through Friday
8:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.

Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities
A wheelchair ramp exists on the west side of the building to take patrons to the first floor via an elevator. A second elevator exists on the first floor to take patrons to other floors.

Parking
Parking is available around the square surrounding the courthouse. There are no parking meters.

Courthouse History
It’s no accident that the Sullivan and Vermillion County courthouses bear a striking resemblance.  Architect John Bayard of Vincennes is credited with both designs.  Interesting, however, is that Bayard’s courthouses also resemble those in Carroll and Spencer counties, both designed by Elmer Dunlap.  Bayard’s 1926 Sullivan County Courthouse displays a more elaborate design, utilizing details that classify the building’s style as Beaux Arts rather than Vermillion County’s Neoclassical.  Sullivan County’s budget--nearly $150,000 more than Vermillion County’s—may account for the difference in lavish detail. 

While the Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne is the most high-style example of Beaux Arts architecture in Indiana, the building in Sullivan offers a smaller and simpler rendition of the style.  Monumental columns, limestone swags and garlands, and radiating window headers illuminate the style.  Where the grandest of Beaux Arts buildings have sculpture decorating the roofline, the restrained Sullivan County Courthouse displays a more practical clock.

The Sullivan County Courthouse is located in a Shelbyville Square plan, surrounded by nineteenth and twentieth century commercial buildings.

History provided by the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. Learn more about architectural styles found in many of Indiana's courthouses from the following publication by the Historic Landmarks Foundation: On the Street Where You Live: Be a Building Watcher! [Requires Acrobat Reader to view and print] Learn more about courthouse squares at the Courts in the Classroom website, provided by the Historic Landmarks Foundation.