"[4] The village was renamed Ottokee shortly thereafter at the suggestion of Col. Dresden Howard to honor the Odawa Chief Ot-to-kee.

Ottokee remained the county seat and defeated many attempts to move the courts, until 1869, when a railroad company surveyed the area and chose Wauseon as a stopping point.

The primary bulk of the courthouse is a long rectangular block with a central projection; an addition was added to the rear of the building.

The red brick structure rests on a rusticated sandstone foundation, which is pierced by small square windows.

The entablature carries over onto the projection with the tower rising for another two levels before terminating in platform lined with a balustrade.

Extensive artwork is present in the courtroom, including murals of interactions between Indians and Americans during the county's earliest years, multiple oil paintings, and wood carvings, plus a dome with stained glass.

The project will include replacement of the heating and cooling systems, the addition of security and technology features, a new elevator that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, updates to offices, and a historic restoration of the common pleas courtroom.

Among the historical renovations envisioned are original elevated theater-style seating in the common pleas courtroom, where a law library was constructed in 1958.