Allegheny County Courthouse

Nice, old courthouse, much of which needs new carpeting in offices.
Take a look at a real (nonworking) jail cell (1^st floor). Free. I know some have used it as a «scared straight» motivation (taxpayer dollars hard at work). If it keeps kids out of a working jail…
Occasionally, a K9 officer and his (furry) partner stroll through.
Just past the jail, there’s a free childcare center (operated by the Jewish Women’s Council volunteers), for those on court-​related business. You must remain in this building while kiddies are checked in there. The person checking the kids in, is the only one allowed to check them out. Period. They provide snacks, drinks, and books to take home. They have videos, games, books to entertain the kids.
There’s a small cafeteria beyond the jail and childcare center. Modestly priced on most items. Decent selection. Nice staff.

Built in 1888, the Allegheny County Courthouse was designed by Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson, who won a contest to create a new courthouse after the original one was destroyed by a fire years before.
The jail portion, connected by the Venetian-​inspired «Bridge of Sighs», closed in 1995 and now contains the juvenile and family sections of the Common Pleas court.
I wasn’t in this foreboding, grim, grey, ancient castle of a building for a tour.
I was a plaintiff in a case against a troubled man due to an ugly incident that occurred months ago.
After having been searched, I was led to a courtroom where a restorative justice prevailed after roughly 90 minutes.
Despite the solemnity of the building itself, I was surprised at how friendly the staff was to me. Advocates, guards, and prosecutors alike greeted me with smiles and pats on the shoulder.
As I left the hearing and was putting my belongings in a tote on a conveyor belt, I said to a guard, «Tell me how to get outta here.»
«Just so long as you ain’t a perp,» he jokingly replied.
I hope I’ll never have to return to the Courthouse ever again in my Earthbound days, even if she is a gothic, stone, monolithic beauty to gaze upon in awe.
P. S. I also got a voucher for $ 5.70 for my trouble.