Photo: MTU Archives The exterior of the Keweenaw County Courthouse has changed very little since this photo was taken in the 1950s.

EAGLE RIVER – The Keweenaw County Board last Wednesday voted to table a project proposal for exterior stairs on two structures within the Eagle River Historic District, the sheriff’s office and the courthouse.

On the courthouse, an exterior stairway on the north side of the building needs to be replaced.

A report by Mark Aho, in charge of maintenance and grounds, indicates the back stairs of the courthouse are concrete and have shifted and cracked over time.

The same report says the west entrance stairs of the Sheriff’s Office have also deteriorated. The entrance was unused for many years, but has recently been opened for the public to access the fingerprinting area more easily.

The proposals were tabled due the significant differences between submitted bids by two companies.

The Eagle River Historic District includes the Keweenaw County Courthouse, Sheriff’s residence and jail, the town hall/school, which is now the Eagle River Museum and various commercial and residential buildings along Main Street.

Both the courthouse and the sheriff’s office were designed and constructed by John Sweat in 1866, five years after the county was established. The courthouse received renovations in 1925, when the front porch was added.

The sheriff’s office, which was originally a combination jail and sheriff’s residence, was also modified in 1925.