Alpena County Courthouse

“Alpena has blazed a new trail in construction,” architect William H. Kuni of Detroit declared at the opening of the Alpena County Courthouse on October 21, 1935. Calling it “the first monolithic building erected in a cold climate,” Kuni designed the Art Deco structure to be built of local Portland cement. Cement construction during the winter was believed impossible in Alpena; however, cold-weather building projects answered the need for winter employment during the Great Depression. The courthouse, financed by local bonds and the Public Works Administration, demonstrated that winter construction with cement was possible. The courthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Plaque via Michigan History Center