Decatur County Courthouse
Bainbridge Georgia

Victorian period architecture was eclectic, romantic, and often whimsical, and many architects of the time took a design approach that was essentially "mix and match." By the turn of the century, however, a return to classicism was underway. Inspired by the great public buildings of ancient Rome, courthouse architects sought to create similar symbols of civic order and prosperity in this country. Decatur County's courthouse, built in 1902, represents the transition between the two ideals with its Neoclassical Revival portico and ornament and its Victorian asymmetry.

The architect, Alexander Blair of Macon, Georgia, retained the corner tower of earier courthouses but gave it a campanile form more in keeping with classical design. He attached pedimented windows on the sides and placed an octagonal domed cupola on top. These features complement the classical details of the main body of the building, giving unity to the overall composition. (Blair also designed the existing courthouses in Montgomery, Murray, Turner, and Wilkinson counties.)

The building is currently undergoing renovation. It stands on a corner facing the town square which was the site of an earlier courthouse, the county's third. It is not known where the two previous courthouses stood.

Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 736
Bainbridge, Georgia 39818
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Directions
From U.S. 27 southbound in Bainbridge,
Exit on Hwy. 84 Bus.(Shotwell St.)
Go east seven blocks and turn left on West Street.
The courthouse is four blocks ahead
on the northwest corner of the town square.