The Hit and Miss Architecture of New Courthouses

American courthouses are rarely centers of architectural experimentation. In fact, they tend to give us some of the more conservative examples of civic architecture. Municipalities of all shapes and sizes see columns, pediments, and red brick as comforting signs of American justice.

Perceived failures of mid-century style courthouses also seems to have encouraged a conservative backlash since. In Cleveland, Minneapolis and Seattle, postmodern classicism won out through the late 20th century into the early 21st for new courthouse projects.