Old Federal Courthouse

Now the criminal court building for St. Louis, it was originally the Federal Courthouse and Customs House.

Cupples Warehouses and the Future

There has been all sorts of beautiful renovations downtown south of Market Street, but the area continues to lack something that will make it a truly vibrant neighborhood. Here are some of my suggestions.

First of all, while they should not necessarily be eliminated, the entrance and exit ramps onto the elevated lanes of Highway 40 are intrusive, ugly, rapidly deteriorating and most importantly, they waste space. When the rebuilding of these structures occur, they should be reconfigured to fit in more hospitably with the street grid.

Likewise, there are huge swaths of "greenspace" that waste valuable real estate, often times for the sake of safety. I've been told that the government didn't want buildings across the street from the federal courthouse for safety reasons, but that is totally illogical since you can drive right by the courthouse anyway. After living in Washington, DC in the post-9-11 world, I watched as security barriers went up all around that city, despite many of the measures merely ruining public space as opposed to protecting anyone. For example, the federal courthouse in St. Louis has Jersey barriers up around the courthouse; they make the place look secure, but in reality would only stop a truck bomb from getting a grand total of another ten or so feet closer to the building. Certainly they make the area look bad, at minimal benefit to safety.

Also, work to make Walnut Street and actually appealing street to walk down; as can be seen below, the builders of City Hall clearly intended Walnut to be the grand vista upon which to approach City Hall. It is marred by a bridge from the jail to the courthouse. While I know it would cost large amounts of money, perhaps the bridge could be turned into a tunnel under the street.

Finally, embrace the juxtaposition between new and old; the area south of Market has lost much of its original character, but that does not mean that a neighborhood with its own character can't rise in its place.

Let's be honest, the whole area is dominated by courthouses, which in general are places people don't want to be unless they work inside. My experience is that many courthouse areas tend to take on a similar pallor as the courthouses around them. Likewise, government office buildings seem to have the same effect on creating drab neighborhoods. Consequently, the area should have a strong mix of all different types of businesses and housing to create a strong community in the Cupples Warehouse District.

City Hall, Cape Girardeau

Cape County Courthouse, Jackson

This courthouse is weird; I've never seen a neoclassical portal with the entrance below the columns. I think this building was renovated at one point at the front door was lowered below its original location.

Randolph County Courthouse, Chester, Illinois

I wonder if these two stones are what's left of the old Randolph County Courthouse. What's there now is clearly from the 1960's or 70's, and is a strong candidate for a Bad Mansard.

Metamorah Courthouse, Illinois

Yes, that's a statue of Abraham Lincoln in front of the courthouse in Metamorah. The Greek Revival courthouse is in the process of being restored.The beautiful square in front of the courthouse is a perfect setting to view the Doric colonnade, whose columns are currently stripped and awaiting new paint.The bell tower is a unique feature, as it is more English Rococo than Greek Revival.I'm always fascinated by the interiors of these buildings, as they're often much more simple than their exteriors. Was that planned, or did they run out of money for the interior?

Tazewell County Courthouse, Pekin, Illinois

The Tazewell County Courthouse is a fantastic example of Beaux-Arts architecture in the early Twentieth Century, and is also listed on the National Register.The building was designed by the firm of Deal & Ginzel, a partnership between John Deal, an experienced builder turned architect, and the more classically trained architect Roland Ginzel.The firm built numerous public buildings throughout central Illinois, including courthouses and high schools.I love the detailing on this building, including the huge, ornate, almost baroque entrances on all four sides of the building.It's a stern building, without any frivolity or even a dome like so many courthouses in the Midwest, but it makes for a powerful presence in the middle of downtown Pekin.

Iron County Courthouse, Ironton

While a little rough around the edges, the Iron County Courthouse has a certain charm to it.In fact, it reminds me of the recently departed Kahoka courthouse, torn down earlier this year for a new one.

Clark County Courthouse Demolition Embroiled in Controversy, State Lawsuit

An alert reader informed me today that demolition of the modest but stately Clark County Courthouse in Kahoka, Missouri is underway. But while gutting of the interior has begun, Attorney General Chris Koster has informed Clark County that their demolition is not so simple. Apparently, as recently as 2008, the Clark County Commissioners accepted money from the state for rehabilitation, money that obviously now cannot be used or has already been wasted since the building is being demolished. Read the local Quincy newspaper's take on the situation here.

Northeast Missouri is by no means the wealthiest corner of the state, and I can understand the logic behind replacing an aging courthouse--if and only if the County really cannot afford to rehabilitate the old courthouse. But the article states that the price of rehab vs. new construction is very much open to debate. Furthermore, if the facts of the case really are as simple as Attorney General Koster states, then Clark County certainly violated the law by demolishing the courthouse.

On a personal note, and while I would imagine the Clark County Commissioners don't care what I think, I will state this. When my parents stumbled across Kahoka, still beautiful if a little rough around the edges, we marveled at what a quaint little town we had discovered. In fact, I have told many people about how fascinating Northeast Missouri remains, and how Kahoka would be a great town to capitalize on its historic past. Nearby Palmyra certainly has, with great success. With the demolition of the courthouse, I will assure anyone who asks that Kahoka is now a town that can be skipped.

Kahoka Courthouse Threatened with Demolition

Thanks to Missouri Preservation, I learned today that the Clark County Courthouse is threatened with demolition. Because you know, in these robust economic times, we can afford to tear down perfectly fine, if purposely dilapidated buildings at our whim. See my original post here.

Peoria County Courthouse

Amidst the desertion of downtown Peoria on the weekend, we came across this magnificent example of modernist architecture from the 1950's. Read about it here.

Market Street Details

Palymra, Missouri

Palmyra deserves more attention in the future.

Kahoka, Missouri

Proceeding into Missouri, the county seat of Clark County, Kahoka, features what must be a very, very old courthouse--perhaps dating to before the Civil War.The courthouse is brick, with a stucco veneer that is flaking off very badly in the back (not shown)
Regardless, I definitely want to find out more about this building.What is very fascinating is that the courthouse sits around the corner from the town square; most Midwestern county seats I know of always feature the courthouse in the middle. Instead, Kahoka's main square has only a bandstand (not pictured). The old hotel on the square is a fascinating example of pressed tin store fronts.Update: I was totally wrong; it's actually from 1871.