At the intersection of Forsyth and Walton Street lies the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. As a Georgia State student, besides coming to class at the Aderhold Learning Center, I typically only find myself in this part of the city to check out all the fun hole-in-the wall restaurants lining Broad Street. Very rarely do I explore beyond the typical limits of this campus, until I learned that so much of our city’s history remains right in front of me as I walk the streets of Downtown Atlanta. After discovering the courthouse, I find it quite embarrassing that I never took the time before to acknowledge this famous building, and brushed it off as if it was just another office building, or even a bank.

a selfie of me in front of the U.S. Courthouse Plaque
Henry and the Courthouse Plaque

Following the events of the Civil War, funding was approved by Congress for a building that offered both postal and legal services. The land the building was founded on was established in 1907, and was completed 3 years later in 1910. James Knox Taylor of the U.S. Treasury was the lead architect of the building and was a part of the post war efforts of, “beautifying Atlanta,”. 1

The Courthouse is another example of a common theme explored in this course so far. Far too often, I walk around campus and downtown and never bother to look around me enough to realize how much history surrounds me every day. I’m glad I was able to discover this building, and makes me feel just a bit better now that I can tell someone where the 11th Circuit Federal Appeals Court resides in our city.

  1. “Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building, Atlanta, GA.” GSA. Accessed February 21, 2024. https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/historic-preservation/explore-historic-buildings/find-a-building/all-historic-buildings/elbert-p-tuttle-us-court-of-appeals-building-atlanta-ga.
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