Text from the Plaque
The original court-house was built on this site by 1842, and the gaol, designed by the prominent Toronto architect William Thomas, was constructed in 1848. Following a fire in 1863 which destroyed the court-house, the present structure was designed by John Turner of Brantford and completed the following year. The gaol and new court-house were both constructed by Jackson Bros., local builders. The court-house with tall round-headed windows, corner tower and accentuated masonry is typical of the Italianate style in the province at that time. In 1861 a county office had been erected on the square's south corner and in 1893 a new structure replaced an earlier north corner office. Architecturally the court-house, gaol, and registry offices constitute an almost unrivalled grouping of public buildings in Ontario.
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