Somehow I did not post the Grant County courthouse shortly after I photographed and edited the image. So, several months later, here it is.
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| Marion is the county seat of Grant County. |
Notice the area in the center of the roof of the building, the brown, metal sided structure. This courthouse used to have a rotunda. But, because of the extra weight, it had to be removed to prevent the structure from collapsing.
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| Very stately looking. |
I love this style of architecture, the Greek columns, arches and limestone make this courthouse look and fell very important. This style was also the most expensive to build. Its very easy to see which Indiana communities were very affluent in the mid-1860-90s, when most of the courthouses built. The counties had courthouses before then, but those were constructed from timber. To prevent the loss of important county records from fire, counties began to construct buildings more fire resistant.
I bought the "Magnificent 92." Jon Dilts did research and wrote about each courthouse in Indiana. Dilts focused on the architecture and architects of each one. Will Counts photographed each one. This has been my go to guide. I try to take different photos than Counts took. I don't want to be a copy-cat. I want to put my own touch, my own artsy spin on each courthouse and find fine details of each one. I want it to be more like a portrait of a person than a picture of a building.
The courthouse represents each counties history and an identity. What's especially interesting to notice is how time as changed these towns. Once, some of these county seats were a hub of commerce. The courtyard square was meeting or gathering place for locals. And now, interstates, suburbs, strip malls and big box stores take the people away from the heart of what once was.
