Bay County Courthouse (1930)
(Framed\Matted 15.5" X 18.5" Image 6" X 9")
This Limited Edition Giclée is printed on 140 lb arches Cold Press.
Numbered and signed. Certificate of Authenticity Included.
On July 1, 1913, Bay County was officially separated from Washington County and now Panama City was the new county seat. A county courthouse was needed to provide the image required for the ambitious dreams of the residents of this new county in Florida. After considerable discussion, a site on Massalina Bayou at Fourth Street was chosen for the courthouse location. Situated high on a bluff overlooking the water, the massive yellow brick edifice was completed in 1915. Of classical design, it featured four gigantic white columns that rose three stories to support a detailed pediment with dentil molding facing north to Fourth Street. A marble door frame surrounded the entryway doors and a dome with four clocks, one pointing in every direction, topped this impressive building. At that time the courthouse contained the jail along with courtrooms and offices. This magnificent building would not stand long as it was designed, for during an attempted prison break, a fire was set that severely damaged the entire interior and the dome collapsed, never to be rebuilt. The front pediment, now looked at as old fashioned, was replaced by a more modern parapet of matching yellow brick that hid the sloping roof. In 1961, the famous Gideon trial took place at the Bay County Courthouse in which Clarence Earl Gideon was tried and convicted of a minor theft. He appealed the verdict on the grounds that as an indigent with no attorney he did not receive a fair trial. He was later granted a new trial and the U.S. Supreme Court issued the decision that it was the right of a person to have a lawyer to receive a fair trial. Gideon was tried again and was found not guilty. The courthouse building was remodeled several times, the latest replacing the original windows with thermo-pane panels that sadly distract from the scale of the building. However, you can still see many aspects of the original building including the brick exterior, columns, stairwells and interior details.
|
contact us
