Claire Allen was an American architect prominent in southern Michigan in the early twentieth century, and best known for designing several county courthouses. He was considered a "master regional architect".

Jackson is the only city in, and seat of government of, Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 31,309. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Ann Arbor and 35 miles (56 km) south of Lansing. Jackson is the core city of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Jackson County and has a population of 160,248.