Courthouse Collection

H. Ray Burks was the architect behind our Pope County Courthouse, and he also designed several other buildings in Arkansas in the late 20s-early 30s. Other than our Courthouse, my favorite was the Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock. It has recently been completely redone, but the Greek-Art Deco style façade is so cool that they actually still have it inside the new renovated building.
The large, detailed panel above the door is called a cartouche, and features a shield reading 1931 A.D. - the year the building was erected. It's genuinely so incredible to me that it has remained mostly unchanged since then on this side.
The detailed vertical panels on either recessed side (between the windows, second photo) are meant to be stylized wheat shocks, and the middle portion of the building is designed to resemble columns topped with an Egyptian motif that remind me of wings.
Even though it's a building that a lot of us pass often without a second thought, it's really neat to take a closer look at it and appreciate all of the detail and care that has gone into it right from the beginning. This collection was created with the inspiration that this Courthouse has brought me.