OLD LAKE COUNTY COURTHOUSE

By  Mike Miller November 16, 2025

The old Lake County Courthouse in Tavares, Florida was built in 1923. It’s actually the county's second courthouse to stand on the site.

It's designed in the Neoclassical Revival style, with columns over the entrance and a flat roof with a stepped parapet. The five-story building overlooks Lake Dora and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The site now houses the Lake County Historical Museum, and exhibits fill the rooms with artifacts. It preserves local stories from settlement to modern times.

Lake County government has owned the land since the county's formation on August 27, 1887, when Tavares was named the county seat.

Early leaders built the first courthouse in 1888-1889. It was designed by Jacob Sears as a two-story frame structure.

The 1920s land boom and the need for more space inspired a new one to be built. The first courthouse was moved across the street to make room for the new courthouse.

Its architect was Alan J. MacDonough (also spelled Macdonough in some records), a prolific Florida designer known for over 20 courthouses, including those in Sarasota and DeSoto counties.

Workers completed the brick courthouse between 1923 and 1926 at a cost of $150,000. The design echoed classical temples with its doric columns.

The structure held trials and records until 1991 when County offices moved to a modern annex.

The old building faced threats of demolition to create a parking lot, as the aging structure sat vacant and underutilized amid downtown expansion needs.

The turning point came in 1998 when the building earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, providing legal protections against demolition.

This spurred $1.6 million in renovations starting around 2000 to convert it into the Lake County Historical Museum. The museum opened in 2000 to safeguard items like pioneer tools and photos.

Nostalgic displays include a colorful wall of early 20th-century citrus labels from local packing houses, and pre-Disney tourist plates mapping spots like Tavares and Silver Springs.

I love old Florida citrus crate labels and have a collection of 1000 in digital form.

The courthouse address is 317 W. Main St., Tavares, FL 32778. It’s on Lake Dora downtown. Reach it via U.S. 441 to Main Street.

View the brick facade and columns outside any time. Inside, the Lake County Historical Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 3 pm, and closed weekends and holidays.

On-request tours take 45 minutes. Schedule group visits in advance by calling 352-343-9890. Entry is free. Park on nearby streets and walk the block to the entrance.

The Museum is mostly on the ground floor, but there is an elevator to the upper floors if any exhibits are displayed there at the time of your visit.

LAKE COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM WEBSITE

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