Oldies but Goodies........

 The older looking building in Des Moines, Iowa is the Polk County courthouse. It still stands today and is on the National Registry. The building itself is designed with a combinations of decorations from so many historic buildings from overseas.

The present courthouse was built in 1906 on the same square as the previous courthouse. It was built for $750,000 in the Beaux-Arts style.  It was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot and Bird. The original columns, stairways and walls were constructed in marble. Murals on the fourth floor were painted by Charles A. Cummings and Edward Simmons.

This is full view of the back of the building as I took the shot from a parking lot on Saturday.  I am always amazed at the mixture of all of the architectural details of so many buildings found in Venice, Athens, Rome and the country of Greece. Notice the sharp contrast of a modern building to the left that declares no decoration other than line and value.

A quick look of the reality of the shot is shown here in color.  I am glad that the building is protected and the people will just build a newer building elsewhere.

Just for fun I want to share this one other older building in downtown Des Moines.  It has had some form of a bar on the main floor for many years.  I saw it still standing while downtown on Saturday and I had to get a shot of it. I had thought the building had been torn down.  By the signs in the windows I think that it is still a bar.

One final photo, just for fun, is of this modern building that sits to the left of the courthouse.  It is an interesting modern building with one decoration that has become famous.  The front of the building has the typical modern design for an accent to its look.  It is said the architect did not know that when it is lighted at night that the shape of a Seagram's Whiskey bottle would be in view.  The building could not light some of the windows to prevent the bottle from showing up but now it has become its trademark even though it is not a Seagram's building.

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