Alright, here's my list of the Top 20 Courthouses In B.C.

Feel VERY free to mute this conversation.

Basic notes:

- A courthouse must be in current operation at least part of the time to count
- Most photos come from the awesome http://www.courthouses.co  website

Here we go!

#20: Port Coquitlam (1996)

- Bold colours, nice mix of textures
- Good dramatic staircase
- Sharp angles are fun

#19: Stewart (Date unknown)

- Suitably old-timey looking for an old-timey town
- Fact it's also the town museum and Service BC outlet amuses me

#18: Sechelt (2003)

- Good integration into the natural environment
- Fun use of wood for exterior flourishes
- Proof one-storey courthouses don't have to be lame

#17: Lillooet (1926)

- Nice laid back but authoritative feel
- Dramatic mountains
- Warm colours for a town that is always five degrees too warm

#16: Nakusp (1910)

- Stately in its simpleness
- I don't know what the final sentence on the plaque means, and I enjoy that

#15: Prince Rupert (1922)

- Just a BEAST of a building
- Ageless
- Very intimidating crest right at the front doors

#14: Kelowna (1994)

- Proof that a modern building can look dramatic
- Great staircase
- that shade of brick

#13: Surrey (1991)

- Dramatic gold nameplate that works great for TV/online images, unlike Vancouver, not that I'm constantly annoyed by that or anything
- Good example of concrete jungle architecture actually coming together okay
- Simple but effective courthouse steps

#12: Powell River (1974)

- Somehow makes green and yellow a great colour scheme
- Like Sechelt, excellent use of playing off Sunshine Coast culture
- Love the little sideblinds on the windows
- Almost good enough to make me forget how great the old Powell River courthouse is

#11: Penticton (1949)

- Yeahhhh breathe in that Art Deco mood
- Unique style for B.C. courthouses
- Classy shade of yellow
- Neat flourishes all over the place

#10: Fraser Lake (date unknown)

- Actually just the town curling rink
- This is the photo the B.C. government uses to show people where it is
- Without knowing anything else, the concept amuses me

#9: Chilliwack (2002)

- You build a classical courthouse in the middle of a growing city in the 21st century, you get props
- Strong pillars + glass combo
- Reaches for grandeur, but doesn't quite make it

#8: Duncan (1970)

- A full 90% of this is due to the government building, not the actual courthouse. But it's part of the same complex, so
- The courthouse has a subdued respectability for a one-storey building. It's fine
- But seriously, look at the government cylinder!

#7: Revelstoke (1913)

- THAT DOME
- Exudes a very particular time and space extremely well
- Almost too much going on (i am not a professional architecture critic)

#6: Rossland (1901)

- Cuuuuuuuuuute
- Engraving "COURT HOUSE" and "AD 1900" is a fun superfluous touch
- Dramatic angles are pleasing, especially on the sidehill

#5: Atlin (1900)

- Ridiculously pretty and well-maintained
- Delighted there are still court hearings in a town of 500 people inaccessible to the rest of B.C.
- Now usually an art gallery, can't figure out if court hearings are still in this building or not, frankly don't care

#4: Vernon (1914)

- Just a beast of a courthouse; there is no way this could be anything other than a courthouse
- 100 carloads of granite were used in construction; floors are 12 inches thick, i am very intimidated
- HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE

#3: Nanaimo (1896)

- Historic+quaint+Rattenbury+still in use = ALL GOOD THINGS
- More of a time-machine feel than classic Interior courthouses
- Sort of love the fact a super generic building was literally tacked on the back when its small size became too much of an issue

#2: Fernie (1910)

- Looks cute AND grand at the same time, how is that possible
- Photographs well at night, in show, with mountain backdrop, without it, ugh i'm jealous
- Not a full-time courthouse and seems sort of separate from town, so it ultimately loses to...

#1: NELSON (1909)

- THE IVY
- THE TURRET
- THE WALKWAY
- IT'S WEIRDLY SHAPED AND I LOVE IT
- IT'S STILL IN USE! FULL TIME!
- God Bless Francis Mawson Rattenbury

And we're done! I hope you learned that:

- B.C. has some incredibly pretty courthouses
- Mid-sized cities outside Metro Vancouver are super fun to visit if you like neat buildings
- I should never be a professional architecture critic