PENNSYLVANIA — Two small-town Pennsylvania courthouses have landed on a national list of America’s most beautiful and overlooked public buildings, placing the Keystone State alongside historic landmarks from Hawaii to Colorado in a new nationwide architecture survey.
The Huntingdon County Courthouse in Huntingdon and the Potter County Courthouse in Coudersport were both named among the country’s top civic gems in a poll of 3,014 respondents commissioned by LovevsDesign.com, a custom wallpaper and interior design company that set out to identify public buildings people find beautiful but largely ignored.
The survey asked Americans to name the public structures in their states that stand out for design, character and sense of place, even though they rarely draw national attention. The result was a list dominated by historic courthouses, libraries and federal buildings that reflect a quieter, more human scale of architecture.
The top-ranked building nationwide was the Hot Springs National Park Administration Building in Arkansas, followed by the Wailuku Public Library in Hawaii and the Museum of Art Fort Collins, a former post office in Colorado. Rounding out the top 10 were civic buildings in Kentucky, Washington, Delaware, California, Colorado, Florida and Hawaii.
Pennsylvania’s two entries did not crack the top tier but still stood out in a crowded national field.
The Huntingdon County Courthouse ranked 35th, praised for its blend of brick and stone, classic portico and tall windows that give it a dignified but approachable presence in the borough’s historic downtown. Survey respondents described the building as “rooted without being imposing,” with warm brick tones that soften its formal lines.
The Potter County Courthouse ranked 60th, recognized for its brick exterior and clock tower that rise gently above Coudersport. Voters said the building’s balanced proportions and modest detailing give it a calm, small-town elegance that fits seamlessly into the surrounding hills.
“Public buildings are meant to serve their communities, but many of them also quietly elevate the places we live,” said Eric Mortensen, a co-founder of LovevsDesign.com. “What our survey shows is that Americans still value beauty in everyday spaces. These aren’t headline-grabbing landmarks, but they’re part of the architectural soul of their towns, and they deserve to be appreciated.”
LovevsDesign.com said the results reveal a broad appetite for architecture that prioritizes craftsmanship, proportion and local identity over spectacle. While famous landmarks dominate tourism guides, the survey suggests that residents feel just as strongly about the courthouses, libraries and municipal buildings that anchor daily life in their towns.
For Huntingdon and Coudersport, the recognition offers a national spotlight on buildings that locals pass every day — quiet reminders that even in small Pennsylvania boroughs, civic architecture can still stand with the country’s best.
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