Barnstable County Courthouse and Superior Courthouse

Built in 1831 to a design by architect Alexander Parris, the Barnstable County Courthouse is Greek Revival in granite — Quincy granite, specifically, which gives the building its weight and its permanence. The front portico and fluted Doric columns are wood finished to read as stone, a practical deception that has held for nearly two centuries. The main courtroom retains its original Federal woodwork. The building has been expanded five times, each addition in Quincy granite, keeping the whole coherent. It still functions as a working courthouse.