• Jefferson County Courthouse - Mt. Vernon IL
    The Jefferson County courthouse in Mt. Vernon IL was built with funds from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1939.  It is a three-story concrete structure in Moderne or Art Deco style, designed by architect William R. McCoy, who was quite active in central Illinois at the time.  It is one of six New Deal county courthouses in Illinois (Weiser 2009).  Unfortunately, Weiser, Wikipedia and other sources make the common mistake of confusing the PWA with the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The courthouse is an elegant building, with a protruding south portico with  three vertical sections divided by bas-relief pillars.   Above...