Stearns County Courthouse Marks Centennial

(KNSI) – The Stearns County Courthouse was officially completed on September 1st, 1922, and Tuesday night it was time to honor the building’s centennial.

For nearly 70 years, all of the Stearns County government operated inside the courthouse.

Representatives were on hand from various agencies during the public open house, passing out stickers and organizing a scavenger hunt, which took people to every level of the courthouse, including past the bullet holes from a famous incident in 1987 where the wife of a divorcing couple shot her soon to be ex-husband the morning of a hearing. He survived. She was sentenced to just under five years in prison.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office was there with the department’s K-9 officers, greeting visitors. Prosecutor Janelle Kendall hired a polka band dressed in early-1900’s garb to play next to tables with treats and popcorn.

The building has seen more than its share of history over the years. Disney’s ‘The Mighty Ducks’ shot several scenes there, including on the main staircase and in the ceremonial courthouse. The crew found a court painting in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, that they wanted as the backdrop for the trial scenes in the movie. Company painters recreated it in one day and installed it during production. It still hangs in the third floor courtroom to this day.

Courtrooms, and even the judges’ chambers, were open to the public.

Chief County Prosecutor Janelle Kendall explains why it was important for the public to look around the landmark building, as well as interact with representatives from various county departments.

“We’re talking about building a new courthouse and a new jail, so I think it’s really super important that people see what we do here and understand why we do it and all the department heads are here. We’re getting a lot of really good questions just really good community engagement.”

Kendall says justice can only work when you get buy in from the average person. She says St. Cloud and the surrounding county has helped to make her job easier by participating in the legal process and its search for truth.

Kendall says the building is one of a kind and can prove inspiring, “I think the majesty of the building, it kind of lands on people.”

Kendall says the jail is the driving force behind the push for a new building. Kendall says even if a new justice center were built, the courthouse would continue to serve the community in new and different way. She says much of the legal process happens through video these days, so a new building wouldn’t need to be quite as ornate as the current one.

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