LESSON - 40 
CourtT-HousE SQUARE 
HE purpose of this lesson is to indicate the most 
effective lines of development in a court-house 
square, a civic feature of large importance in 
county seat towns, especially in the south and 
middle west. 
Discussion 
The court-house square usually occupies a central position in 
the town, and the court-house itself is apt to be the largest and most 
important public building. The court-house square thus becomes 
the focus of civic interest — a genuine civic center. 
The grounds in the court-house square will necessarily be rela- 
tively small. This results primarily from the heavy pressure of 
commercial interests on the four sides of the square, since as a 
rule the most valuable business locations are those immediately 
fronting upon the court-house. The actual and apparent size of 
the grounds are still further diminished by the large mass of the 
court-house building. 
It sometimes happens also that other buildings are put upon the 
court-house square, such as a jail or a library. Such an arrange- 
ment must always be considered objectionable. Such other build- 
ings break up the ground and detract from the dignity of the central 
court-house. 
On account of the smallness of the grounds and the predom- 
inance of straight lines in the vicinity, a definitely formal treatment 
of the open spaces is strongly suggested. Good landscape gardening 
would undoubtedly lead in this direction. The public taste for a 
more natural style is so strong however, and the popular ignorance 
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