A bridge and bars define them: Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail

Completed in 1888, The Allegheny County Courthouse is one of Pittsburgh’s most distinctive and historic buildings. Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson designed the structure after the previous courthouse burned down in 1882.

The courthouse and adjoining jail are a unique architectural mix of Renaissance style with Syrian arches and French Gothic windows. The buildings became National Historic Landmarks in 1976.

The ‘bridge of sighs,’ based on the bridge of the same name in Venice, connects the courthouse and jail. Although the jail closed in 1995, it’s now home to the juvenile and family sections of Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.

– Beth Turnbull, WordWrite Communications