Some World's Fair Goodness in our own Backyard

I was working in Riverside California this week and came across this confection of Beaux Arts Delight!  My theory if you haven't picked this up from my blog, is that all American Architecture of the Twentieth Century can be traced back to the Chicago World's Fair of 1893.   The Riverside County Courthouse adds another nugget to my thesis.

Built in 1903, by the firm of Burnham and Bliesner, Franklin Pierce Burnham (no relation to Daniel Burnham, one of the geniuses who laid out the 1893 fair) was the primary architect.  Franklin was also the architect of the somewhat notorious and tragic pavilion at the Chicago World's Fair; The Cold Storage Warehouse building, which due to faulty construction  (not design) burned on July 10 1893.  15 people lost their lives; 12 Firefighters and 3 civilians. 

The Cold Storage Building refrigerated all the food used at the fair, as well as hosting a skating rink on the roof. The Smokestack was 14 feet shorter than the surrounding tower - the fire was caused by the lack of flashing protecting the exposed wood from the smokestack which was specified but never built..

The Riverside Courthouse also bears a striking resemblance to another World's Fair Building. 

The Grand Palais at the 1900 Paris Exposition. 

Here is the Grand Palais entry way:

And here is our wonderful Riverside Courthouse

And here are some more:

Vintage Paris Postcard

Judy's iPhone with Marquee Effect

The Chicago World's Fair demonstration of the City Beautiful Movement deeply affected even the smallest most remote municipalities in the U.S.  The movement's basic tenet being that monumentality and grandeur was intrinsically linked with moral and civic virtue.  How appropriate for a courthouse no? 

Riverside is a wonderful City and I look forward to sharing more gems.  Thanks for visiting GRILLED CHEESE IS ALWAYS SAFE