Madera County Courthouse, County courthouse in Madera, California, US.
The Madera County Courthouse is a neoclassical granite building at 210 W. Yosemite Ave. in Madera, California, with a central clock tower. It was the first significant public building constructed in the county. The county government left it in 1953, and the Madera County Historical Society later turned it into a museum.
The building was constructed around 1900 using locally quarried granite and served for decades as the seat of county government. It was eventually closed in 1953 due to structural concerns.
The building now houses the Madera County Historical Society's museum, which took over the former courthouse after the county government moved out in 1953. Its exhibits cover the county's history, and the granite courthouse itself, listed on the National Register in 1971, is the centerpiece of the collection.
The building is located downtown in Madera on West Yosemite Avenue and is easy to find. It operates as a museum and welcomes visitors interested in exploring local history.
The 1906 fire destroyed the clock tower, which was rebuilt; the granite for the 1900 building came from quarries inside Madera County. The county left in 1953 after a survey judged the structure unsafe, and the Madera County Historical Society turned it into a museum. It joined the National Register on September 3, 1971.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,440 contributors worldwide.