Description

The former main entrance on the east side of the Alameda County Courthouse leads to an elegant lobby flanked by stairways and two large murals made of marble, backed with gold and silver leaf.  

The murals, which measure 10 x 30 feet, were created by Gaetano Duccini, sculptor, and Marian Simpson, designer, and were paid for by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

One is called “Exploration” and depicts the Native American and Hispanic history of Alameda County.  The other is called “Settling of California” and portrays the settlement of the area by frontier settlers. 

That entrance and lobby is presently closed to the public for security reasons, one supposes.  One can see the murals but not straight-on and the lighting makes for a bad highlight on photographs.