The courthouse was nice, in red brick with an interesting octagonal tower. That's an odd little feature I'm not used to seeing. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've never seen anything like this before because, as I learned when I sat to write this, I have never before used the word “octagonal” here. Sure, this … Continue reading 773. Waterville, Douglas County (WA38) →

Well played, Okanogan County!  The courthouse was really interesting in an almost European sort of way.  I really liked the clock tower there, a step above the square towers I had only relatively recently begun to register.  I could almost imagine something like this in a little town square in Italy or Germany or something.  … Continue reading 772. Okanogan, Okanogan County (WA37) →

This is a nice courthouse considering I’m out here in the middle of beyond, and I had to do some winding mountain-road bull crap to get here. I assumed the courthouse was some kind of stucco or something, and I was curious about when it was built. I thought it couldn’t be very old, but … Continue reading 771. Republic, Ferry County (WA36) →

The courthouse here wasn’t terrible, but it was a textbook example of why the Future Arborists of America was formed!  It all came down to one badly placed tree.  If I photographed the building, the tree would obscure the front door and the building's name.  If I could see the door and name, the rest … Continue reading 770. Colville, Stevens County (WA35) →

Well, I can’t say much about the courthouse one way or the other.  It was definitely in the mediocre range.  It wasn’t cookie cutter as if it had come from a Sears catalog, so I guess it’s got that to its credit.  More than anything, I think this place is the victim of bad luck.  … Continue reading 769. Newport, Pend Oreille County (WA34) →

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) →