Built to Last

Brass Plate-Geneva, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.

Constructed in 1892, the Kane County Courthouse is one of the architectural highlights of the city of Geneva, Illinois. Romanesque in style, it is constructed of red brick and limestone, and features a square dome and arched entryways. However, one of the defining features sits out front-a display dedicated to local veterans that has a statue, plaques, and a pair of early 1900's naval guns pointing towards West Chicago.

I, of course, haven't focused on any of these things, and have instead decided to show you a small, tarnished copper plate stuck in some old concrete. It (and it's twin) are mounted in the low walls that border the stairs in front of the courthouse, leading up to the veterans' monument. It states that the stairs were built by a local firm, and was finished in 1915. Aside from the green patina, it's in fine fettle, as is the railing it's attached to.

It always pleases me to find some little detail like this. Sidewalk stamps from the twenties, long-defunct foundry names on standpipe fittings, and vintage bricks inscribed with the names of their makers, things that are often worn down, covered over, or outright removed. It just goes to show that it pays to look down at your feet once in a while.