Eureka Courthouse
The Eureka County Courthouse, designed by George Costerisa, cost about $38,000
to construct. Built in 1879-80 of locally-fired brick and of sandstone quarried
nearby, the Italian style courthouse remains a fine example of boomtown
Victorian opulence. The relic, a scene of many famous trials, reflects the
glory days from 1864 to 1890 when Eureka was the first important lead-silver
district in the United States.
State Historical Marker No. 80
State Historic Preservation Office
Board of County Commissioners.
Sometimes I’ll look up the markers I photograph on The Historical Market Database. In checking
this one, I see there was an
earlier version that omitted the information about the
architect and the cost. A note on the HMDB page mentions the change was made in part to improve “grammar and readability.”
I don’t know about that. Here’s the original text:
Built in 1879-80, of locally-fired brick and of sandstone quarried nearby, the Eureka County Courthouse remains a fine example of boom town Victorian opulence. This relic, scene of many famous trials, lives on in reflected glory of the days when Eureka was the first important lead-silver district in the United States.
I can see an editor’s hand at work in the newer version. But is there really an improvement? For one thing, I checked the architect’s name, as it was unfamiliar. It turns out George "Costerisa" is actually George Costerisan, who went on from this gem to spend most of his career in California. Some improvement. (Weirdly, I encountered one of Costerisan’s more notable works — the Odd Fellows Hall — last fall while strolling through Salt Lake City in September 2022.)
Submitted by @danbrekke
