GWINNETT COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Lawrenceville, GA

As a teen, my family lived in a two-story Queen Anne Victorian home just a stone’s throw from this county courthouse. The soda fountain at the Momfort Drugstore on the corner was the popular hangout place for kids in the 60’s - think ‘57 Chevys, doo-wop ducktails and ponytails.

The first courthouse was built on this site in 1820, and at least three others followed, one of which was burned down in 1872 by a Klu Klux Klansman, to destroy incriminating records. The Romanesque-style building that stands today was designed by Boston architect E.G. Lin, and built in 1885. The small balcony on the front corner, which wasused to summon jurors from the square, is a reminder that this was the official courthouse. The four corners of the square were deeded to lawyers, with their agreement to maintain a fence around the square to keep livestock off the lawn. An austere addition was constructed on the back of the building in 1932 using prison labor, as part of FDR’s Works Progress Administration (WPA). This sketch was done from the second floor of a restaurant across the street. The sunlight laid perfectly across the face of the building on this day, helping reveal the detail.