I didn't know quite what to make of this courthouse. It seemed like a very 1970s style (it was dedicated to public service on July 4, 1976, the Bicentennial of the United States, after all) and that's not necessarily bad. It's just not good. It helps that there was a newspaper vending machine here though. … Continue reading 680. Globe, Gila County (AZ05) →

This is the Commissioners' Building. As best as I can tell, the county commissioners work out of here, doing the business of the county and the yadda yadda hey hey. Some of you can probably guess what I think of this building, but on the off chance you can't, it sucks. It's boring. It's not … Continue reading 679. Tucson, Pima County (AZ04) →

Welcome to the longtime shire of the most controversial sheriff since, well, nobody else (a Google search for "controversial sheriff" literally pulls up his name), Joe Arpaio. I noticed the street construction immediately, so I had to swing around a bit to even find a place to park, but once I did, it was worth … Continue reading 678. Phoenix, Maricopa County (AZ03) →

Stunning! White, illuminated, and gorgeous! It immediately occurred to me that there would be tree-based obscuration issues in spring or summer, but one of the few good things about going out in the winter is that most of that would be avoided. Future Arborists of America should still take note, however. My presence here was … Continue reading 677. Prescott, Yavapai County (AZ02) →

Now that is a lovely courthouse. Note there's a Sailor and a Doughboy here! Just like back in Crowell and Hobart! It was almost worth the drive. I wasn't entirely sure it was at the time though, not because of the courthouse, but because of the drive. You see, I had been avoiding Arizona for … Continue reading 676. Kingman, Mohave County (AZ01) →

Oh, Nevada! Welcome to Disneyland in hell. The layout of downtown Las Vegas was somewhat bizarre and labyrinthine, reminding me at times of the Lament Configuration (for the horror movie fans among you). Winding, crazy streets lead to other winding, crazy streets, none of which make sense in any shape or form. I was a … Continue reading 675. Las Vegas, Clark County (NV01) →

Have I seen something that’s straight up cut out of stone out here in a while?  Are there even quarries around here?  I mean, this does look lovely but a lot of the brick here has been red if I remember correctly, except for Springfield and that’s big enough of a place to have cut … Continue reading 674. Cassville, Barry County (MO021) →

Talk about a little town in the middle of nowhere!  Fun fact: Galena covers three-quarters of a square mile in area, making it physically smaller than Paint Rock but not as small as Mentone.  The courthouse is perfectly fine, a small courthouse for a small community.  It actually threw me off for a moment because … Continue reading 673. Galena, Stone County (MO020) →

Now, this is a pretty good way to start off the morning.  Nice and stately without being too ostentatious.  That said, a theory just occurred to me as I marveled at this place.  I noticed some towns in Missouri seem to have these epic courthouses that are like living castles, while others tend to be more laid … Continue reading 672. Ozark, Christian County (MO019) →

Now, THIS is how you do a courthouse in an important city!  Admittedly, it doesn’t have the same panache as some of the other courthouses in Missouri, but this is a stately place where the business of the county has been transacted for generations.  Or maybe not.  I had and still have no earthly idea when they … Continue reading 671. Springfield, Greene County (MO018) →