Arches, Columns, and Tiles

Architectural Details

Architectural Details

As part of the walking tour of downtown Tucson, accomplished by following a stripe of turquoise paint on the pavement, you cross through an interior courtyard of the Pima County Courthouse and pass through this columned pathway.

Pima County Courthouse

Tuscon Arizona

in Tucson Arizona

The courthouse, in Tucson’s downtown district, was designed by Tucson architect Roy Place and built in 1929. The building has a Spanish Colonial and Moorish style, and a rather remarkable dome decorated with mosaic tiles. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Turquoise Building

La Placita Village

La Placita Village

The Visitor Center in downtown Tucson is housed in a group of buildings, all painted with bright colors.

Pinks, yellows, blues, and yes, this delicious turquoise color. I love the lines in this photograph, and the reflections in the windows that quite invite you to tell an imaginative story to explain what you might imagine.

Diamond in the Sky

Michigan Avenue in Chicagos Loop

Michigan Avenue in Chicago’s Loop

Though I don’t have the urban stamina to live in Chicago – I lived on the near North Side for three years in the late 70s and know that to be true – I love visiting the city a few times each year, preferably every season.

On our winter visit, we explored Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park. I took this photograph standing on the stone stairway that leads into the Art Institute, shooting north up the avenue. The snow cover and chilly temperature added to the overall experience.

I like how only part of the diamond top of the Smurfit-Stone Building is snow covered. I love that building, and I love its name. I always think I’m going to see little blue cartoon characters hanging around the lobby, but no. So far there have been no Papa Smurf sightings!