The Buchanan County Courthouse in downtown St. Joseph is perhaps one of the most public impressive buildings I’ve seen in America. Constructed in 1873 and still largely identical in appearance other than its cupola (which now looks similar to the one in Lancaster, Wisconsin).
Its sheer size, particularly in 1873 and second only to the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, is just one indication of the importance of St. Joseph at the time.
The architecture is described as “Renaissance Revival” but that is really pretty inadequate. It’s more towards the Italianate with some classicizing elements.
Its architect was P.F. Meagher and the general contractor was John DeClue, coming in at $173,000.
The dome is beautiful and lights up red at night.
The jail was once on the same block but is now across the street in a much larger building.
I just think what is so impressive about this courthouse is the size and grandiosity of the multiple classical portals.
The City Hall, a little ways away at the focal point of what was obviously supposed to be a much more fleshed-out City Beautiful era “Forum Sancti Josephi” that never quite saw its full potential, it is still an interesting building at least partially inspired by the ancient Tabularium in Rome or Kar Friedrich Schinkel’s Altes Museum in Berlin.
It’s an elegant building, inside and out, illustrating the wealth and power that St. Joseph held when it was built.
There is also a federal building and a Carnegie Library.
St. Joseph lost its train station, but Amtrak service is coming back. Much like St. Louis, its terminal was a Romanesque Revival and Renaissance Revival influenced building.
