M.C. BLANCHARD JUDICIAL BUILDING

Pensacola, FL

The Escambia County Courthouse, opened in 1978, was named after a former Chief Judge. The contemporary courthouse was designed by local architect William Graves. It underwent extensive renovation in 2000 that doubled its size. When deciding to sketch this building, I was attracted to the deft balance and organization of the rectilinear building masses. I especially liked the three receding, cantilevered elements at the top floor, to the left. The building mass to the right in the sketch is the addition, which I’m guessing is by another architect. The addition is less sensitively composed, attempting to match the strength of the original work, but falling short of that goal. In the original design, we see a hint of inspiration from AIA Gold Medalist architect Richard Meier’s play with white masses and glass. Like evolution in nature, architectural design evolves in a linear fashion, with each generation building on the work of earlier generations. New design approaches, truly original, are rare. I think of architects like Frank Llyod Wright, Frank Gehry, Santiago Calatrava, Zaha Hadid and Moshe Safdie. They each enabled us all to venture in new directions.

I was in Pensacola for the Planning Board hearing on our new downtown Hilton brand hotel, which was approved 4-1, but not without a little fussing. I found this view from the fifth floor of City Hall next door. This is not the front face of the Courthouse, but it was its most interesting facade.