Rather than writing about a specific county courthouse in Minnesota, this blog post will feature one of my favorite components of building design - the staircase. Modern courthouses, those built in the latter half of the 20th century up to the present day typically design a staircase as a functional element, or as an Instagram post I follow recently lamented, as a “means of vertical circulation.” The stairs direct people up and down between floors to the various courtrooms and administrative offices. But, let’s be honest, most visitors these days are probably taking the elevator which older buildings have added as part of upgrades that were made in the 1990s following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In buildings from the 19th and first half of the twentieth century, the staircase was usually a grand affair. It was laid out as a stately entrance into an imposing civic structure. The steps were wide, often edged with wrought iron or carved wooden railings, sometimes leading up to a second story rotunda or a landing lit by a large arched or stained glass window. The stairs served as a gateway into the serious business of the courtrooms and county offices. Accordingly, some of my favorite interior staircases are in the older courthouses, seen more frequently outside the Twin Cities metro area. But newer courthouses, those typically from the 1930s to 1960s can have their own charm. Those designed during the Art Deco period before WWII or from the Corporate International design period after the war feature staircases of gleaming chrome, terrazzo flooring, and sleek, geometric lines.

Here are some of my favorites.