County courthouses

[index]

What are the most beautiful county courthouses? The ones in the most scenic areas? The ugliest, smallest, and most pathetic ones? Or really anything else to discuss about them

Personally I'm partial to the Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva. Also quite like the Cherokee County Courthouse. Both of them are small, quaint, have nice architecture, and are in beautiful settings.

[oscar]

For most beautiful, one candidate would be the Evangeline Parish Courthouse in Ville Platte, Louisiana. It features a statue of the fictional character (heroine of the epic Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, about the expulsion of Nova Scotia's Francophone population) for which the parish was named. That was a welcome break from all the military hardware, and statues of Confederate soldiers, adorning many Southern courthouses.

I'll have plenty more to say about this after Christmas, when I'm less busy.

[NWI_Irish96]

It's no longer a courthouse and now a museum but the old Lake County courthouse in downtown Crown Point is very striking.

On the other end of the spectrum is the White County courthouse in Monticello. Just no.

[golden eagle]

What are the most beautiful county courthouses? The ones in the most scenic areas? The ugliest, smallest, and most pathetic ones? Or really anything else to discuss about them

Personally I'm partial to the Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva. Also quite like the Cherokee County Courthouse. Both of them are small, quaint, have nice architecture, and are in beautiful settings.

I have a picture of the Henderson County Courthouse in Hendersonville. I'll post it if I'm able to do so.

[Max Rockatansky]

The Fresno County Courthouse is a strong contender for most ugly:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresno_County_Courthouse

Whereas the Mariposa County Courthouse has plenty of Gold Rush era simplicity and charm:

https://flic.kr/p/27ABTKG

[Bruce]

Pacific County has an unexpectedly nice one tucked away on a hillside overlooking the Willapa River:

[Brandon]

Well, depending on how you look at it, Will County, Illinois went from this: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wsbttu2j2RZYCtEt9
to this: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cGyzVLFuDUvdkxEQ9

The 1960s one was a squat, ugly (IMHO) brutalist structure.  The new one is much more attractive (IMHO).

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Hennepin County, MN is hard on the eyes: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Hennepin_County_Government_Center_2018.jpg

They separated the courthouse and other services from the still-in-use Minneapolis city hall next door in the 1970s.

Always a fan of the Cimarron County, Oklahoma courthouse in the middle of a big traffic circle (saw it in person in 2018 too).

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7293144,-102.5131305,3a,60y,1.3h,92.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB2BwotVM0cwPzQ5fp3L46A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[GaryV]

^ Parking on the inside of the circle? And maybe on the outer corners of the original square too. (Looks like they rounded off the square.)

[freebrickproductions]

I personally like the Madison County, AL, courthouse, it pulls-off a mid-century modern/brutalist design well, IMHO:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7297462,-86.5854274,3a,75y,30.63h,110.33t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sy-5LRGb1YWrVS2HsOsjoGg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[Flint1979]

Saginaw County courthouse in Saginaw, Michigan. I think this one falls under the ugly category. It replaced a historic courthouse in front of it in the 1970s.

[Scott5114]

Always a fan of the Cimarron County, Oklahoma courthouse in the middle of a big traffic circle (saw it in person in 2018 too).

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7293144,-102.5131305,3a,60y,1.3h,92.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB2BwotVM0cwPzQ5fp3L46A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

The most Oklahoma thing ever is that if you scroll around the courthouse, you can see that the 4 legs of the traffic circle are signed with 3 different styles of sign.

[freebrickproductions]

Always a fan of the Cimarron County, Oklahoma courthouse in the middle of a big traffic circle (saw it in person in 2018 too).

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.7293144,-102.5131305,3a,60y,1.3h,92.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB2BwotVM0cwPzQ5fp3L46A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

The most Oklahoma thing ever is that if you scroll around the courthouse, you can see that the 4 legs of the traffic circle are signed with 3 different styles of sign.

I feel like this one especially qualifies for the "worst of" list, given just how tiny the shields on it are and the fact it almost implies you can go the wrong way around it.
Not that the others are too much better, but at least they show you're supposed to only go one way!

[index]

The Fresno County Courthouse is a strong contender for most ugly:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresno_County_Courthouse

Yech. It looks like a gigantic picnic basket. Don't know what they were thinking with that one. Sentences aren't the only thing that's being dished out there. I heard if you get a felony conviction they give you a stale mayonnaise-and-bologna sandwich that's been sitting out in the heat to go with it, just to really rub it in.

[tchafe1978]

Lafayette County, WI Courthouse:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lafayette+County+Courthouse/@42.6824165,-90.1184271,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPDUoeOnOuRq6STSQq0X4G3KHx4ZOLmDfcpzESZ!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPDUoeOnOuRq6STSQq0X4G3KHx4ZOLmDfcpzESZ%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i4608!8i3456!4m7!3m6!1s0x87fd51d13137cc63:0xbd65553d2ee50dbe!8m2!3d42.6824165!4d-90.1184271!10e5!16s%2Fm%2F06_lqtc?entry=ttu

Grant County, WI Courthouse:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Grant+County+Clerk+of+Court/@42.8476387,-90.7102071,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipOF12f3Zs-M2Rz0-H4ZxEE0RAiLJN0F5yn70op3!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOF12f3Zs-M2Rz0-H4ZxEE0RAiLJN0F5yn70op3%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i4032!8i3024!4m7!3m6!1s0x87fcdd9bf269c313:0xa79cacc15184a2d5!8m2!3d42.8474269!4d-90.7102105!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F1yp1b9vl5?entry=ttu

Iowa County, WI Courthouse, the oldest courthouse in Wisconsin:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9617013,-90.1303452,3a,75y,222.47h,93.29t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOaDE-lNLl8YLxQAtI8ZdEQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[mgk920]

Milwaukee County, WI, looking eastward across I-43 from 11 St. Until the freeway was rebuilt in the mid-late 00s, there was a large parking ramp extending over the original northbound side of the highway and blocking the view of that facade.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/JGhudqpBXyytkU2C8

Mike

[catch22]

Keweenaw County courthouse in Eagle River, MI.   It's on the small side, which is all a county of just over 2,000 population needs, I guess.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/v4hDEFxJw6bb9NZz5

[index]

Keweenaw County courthouse in Eagle River, MI.   It's on the small side, which is all a county of just over 2,000 population needs, I guess.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/v4hDEFxJw6bb9NZz5
(snipped)

In spite of the fact it's only around twice the size in population, the Hyde County Courthouse in Swan Quarter is much larger. Any other disproportionate ones?


(Not my photo)

[Flint1979]

Gratiot County, Michigan's courthouse in Ithaca. This one looks pretty nice decorated for Christmas.

[Flint1979]

Bay County Building in Bay City, Michigan. This one is a historic building in an area full of historic buildings.