National Historical Landmark-Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail

When architect Henry Hobson Richardson realized his days were numbered, he wrote, Let me have time to finish Pittsburgh and I should be content without another day.

He was referring to the massive buildings he had designed for Allegheny County in1883, which were then being built. The jail -- most rugged and solid of Richardson's designs -- was completed in 1886, and the adjoining courhouse -- more specifically Romanesque in its stylistic allegiance -- was completed in 1888, a year after Richardson's death.

This stone group is rightly considered among the truly great examples of his individual architectural style, the Richardsonian Romanesque.

Courtesy National Park Service National Historical Landmarks

Photo Courtesy Library of Congress Historic American Building Survey