The current LaSalle County Court House is located on the corner of LaSalle and Madison Streets in Ottawa, Illinois. It was authorized by the Board of Supervisors in 1881. It was completed in 1883. It is a stone building. It was designed by M.L. Beers. The original successful bidders on the project were Weiss and Wolf. However, they were unable to complete the project. The project was then awarded to Thomas and Hugh Colwell. This building is 48.7 feet tall. It is four stories. The architectural style is Romanesque revival. The building was completed at a cost of $127,127.04.
The court house completed in 1883 was actually the fourth on this site. The first two structures were made of logs. The first court house was authorized on 12/5/1831. It was 2 stories high. It measured 24 x 16 feet. It was a wooden structure. Not much is known about the second courthouse. It was a wooden structure .
The third courthouse was a two story brick structure with columns on the south side. The third court house was constructed in 1841. William Flagg was the contractor. The project met with difficulties before it was completed. Cost for completion was $40,000. This was considerably more than the original estimate of $20,000. Jail cells were constructed in the basement. It was destroyed by a fire in 1881. Notable about this building is that Abraham Lincoln practiced here and the Illinois Supreme held sessions here from 1848 to 1860.