Saturday, May 3, 2014

"Franklin County Courthouse"

Franklin County Courthouse in Pasco, Washington. 
We met in Pasco this last Wednesday morning to sketch the Franklin County Courthouse.  Built in 1912 and remodeled a few times over the years, this is one of the few early 19th century structures in our area.

It is a gorgeous building, and it is difficult not to pretend, just a little bit, with that dome and those Romanesque arches and windows, and those two ionic columns supporting the portico, that you are sitting in the plaza outside St. Peter's in Rome when sketching it.

Of course the security guards don't dress in those snazzy Swiss Guard uniforms Michelangelo designed at St. Peter's, but they do carry guns.

The courthouse is tightly secured at its perimeter.  I guess it is the age we live in.  In the early seventies, a kid I knew in Prosser, sent Judge James Lawless a package in his offices here.  It was a bomb and it killed the judge.  The kid is now approaching his 65th birthday, still behind bars, always behind bars.  Good place for him.



1 comment:

  1. Great perspective Jim, what a fantastic idea to sketch the Franklin County Court House, Pasco WA.. I was very aware of the constant change of shadows.

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