Interior, Old McLean County Courthouse, Bloomington, Illinois

Copyright St. Louis Patina -7418

The interior of the McLean County Courthouse is stunning, with a central rotunda that stretches from the first floor up into the dome. Due to a net that stretches across the base of the dome to prevent plaster from falling on visitors’ heads, above a certain level the images become blurred by the net’s inteference.

Copyright St. Louis Patina -7419

Restored in 2004, the rotunda probably ranks as one of the most beautiful spaces I have seen in America.

Copyright St. Louis Patina -7437

Copyright St. Louis Patina -7466

In one of the most unique aspects, the staircase to the dome above the flat coffered ceiling actually intrudes into the rotunda’s space.

Copyright St. Louis Patina -7453

The ceiling painting is unfortunately obscured by the net, but appears to represent prosperity as an allegory.

Copyright St. Louis Patina -7459

Beautiful bas-relief sculpture covers the wall.

Copyright St. Louis Patina -7427

A portrait bust of Abraham Lincoln and I believe George Washington grace the niches below the dome.

Copyright St. Louis Patina -7433

One Comment Add yours

  1. Brooke says:

    Love the domes in these old courthouses. The one in STL is magnificient.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.