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Western Pennsylvania » Rolling Hills and Rolling Mills » Westmoreland County » Greensburg and Vicinity » Westmoreland County Courthouse

Westmoreland County Courthouse

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1906–1908, William Kauffman; 1978 addition, Roach Walflsh Lettrich Bohm. 2 N. Main St.
  • Westmoreland County Courthouse (Lu Donnelly)
  • Westmoreland County Courthouse (Lu Donnelly)
  • (Michelle Krone)

This 175-foot-high domed courthouse rises above the skyline of Greensburg from the site of three previous courthouses. The Beaux-Arts building is constructed of steel and faced with granite. The ground floor is rusticated, geometric terra-cotta ornament adorns the upper floors and dome, arid the roofline has personifications of Justice, Law, and the People. Inside, the dome covers a four-story rotunda enriched with marble mosaics, San Domingo mahogany, and bronze railings along the grand staircase. This ornate interior is the work of decorator Paul Hoffman, with murals by French muralist Maurice Ingres. Pittsburgh artist Carroll Westfall restored the murals. The courthouse was restored and expanded with a six-story addition to the west in 1978 by a Greensburg-based architectural firm. Although lacking classical decoration, the addition's similar granite surfaces and landscaped courtyard blend with the original building.

The courthouse's architect, Pittsburgh's William Kauffman (1857–1945), is often associated with his contemporary Edward M. Butz (1851–1916) in designing large public buildings, including two Pennsylvania courthouses, in Fayette ( FA1) and Clarion ( CL1) counties. They designed buildings together between c. 1882 and c. 1910.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lu Donnelly et al.
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Data

What's Nearby

Pennsylvania Railroad Passenger and Freight Stations
First Presbyterian Church
Blessed Sacrament Cathedral (Most Holy Sacrament Church)
YWCA (William Augustus Huff House)
Seton Hill University

Citation

Lu Donnelly et al., "Westmoreland County Courthouse", [Greensburg, Pennsylvania], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-01-WE1.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of PA vol 1

Buildings of Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, Lu Donnelly, H. David Brumble IV, and Franklin Toker. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010, 212-212.

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