Holy crap!  Now that is one heck of a courthouse!  It’s less of a courthouse and more of a castle!  I couldn’t be absolutely sure at that moment because I hadn’t yet finished my county tour of Washington, but I already felt little doubt that this would be the best courthouse I would see on this trip.  … Continue reading 768. Spokane, Spokane County (WA33) →

This courthouse wasn't bad at all. It was a nice brick structure, and the tower offered something to differentiate it. I also have to admit that, while it didn't disappoint me, it didn't exactly move me, either. Not every courthouse sparks joy or induces ire. I give it a firm meh-plus. There's always a cemetery. … Continue reading 767. Davenport, Lincoln County (WA32) →

I don’t dislike this courthouse, but I wonder about something.  It seems to straddle a line between earlier courthouses in which design and detail features abound and later courthouses that are little more than office buildings.  I never thought about exactly when they began to make the transformation, so it’s interesting to see what looks … Continue reading 766. Colfax, Whitman County (WA31) →

This is not the most attractive courthouse. In fact, I would rank it only a little higher than some of the least attractive ones I’ve seen. I assume it was built in the 1960s, not exactly a high-water mark for courthouse design. I’m sure it’s good enough, but ugh. We ended up going to a … Continue reading 765. Moscow, Latah County (ID02) →

Oh, Idaho!  Now, this is actually a really nice courthouse.  Good, solid, and dependable.  It’s hardly the first courthouse built in the area, but coming from 1928, it would do nicely.  Weirdly, this might actually be a highly, highly, highly remodeled version of the original courthouse from 1889.  The 1974 extension, though?  Not so nice. Idaho’s County … Continue reading 764. Lewiston, Nez Pearce County (ID01) →

Well, it’s a courthouse.  I’m not impressed with it, but it fulfills its function, so I’m not going to complain (too much).  I found it funny that the rear entrance seemed much more interesting than the front entrance.  That leaves me wondering if that was once the front entrance and somehow the entire orientation of … Continue reading 763. Asotin, Asotin County (WA30) →

This struck me as a fine example of (for lack of a better term) alternate courthouse architecture. It felt like a hodgepodge of styles, each added on almost randomly until you ended up with the building you see before you. Or maybe it was designed that way. Who knows? I certainly don't. I'm not the … Continue reading 762. Pomeroy, Garfield County (WA29) →

Usually, when you find a courthouse, you find something made of stone, brick, or whitewashed something.  Green is something you don’t normally expect to see.  While it’s not unknown for whitewash to be tinted for decorative purposes, this kind of light avocado color is not, in my experience, a normal outcome.  Of course, I doubt … Continue reading 761. Dayton, Columbia County (WA28) →

Walla Walla is one of those places that I had heard of but never imagined going to, considering its primary claim to fame as the corporate home of the Little Giant Vacuum Cleaner Company. But there I was, and its courthouse was lovely. Not Pasco lovely, mind you, but lovely. A nice classical structure for … Continue reading 760. Walla Walla, Walla Walla County (WA27) →

This is quite a stunning courthouse! When we pulled up, I was immediately thrown by how gorgeous it was. I was immediately reminded of New Madrid when I looked upon it, especially the gorgeous dome atop it. For a moment, I almost wept, knowing that I could not truly experience the beauty of it. As … Continue reading 759. Pasco, Franklin County (WA26) →