Courtroom Painted Canvas
When the courthouse opened in 1890, the circuit courtroom walls were plain, but this all changed in 1912 when ornate painted canvas was added to the room. Many build-ings and houses in Sioux Falls have similar products on walls and ceilings. In 1930, the pink and green designs were painted over with dark green and maroon on a gray back-ground. During the 1970s restoration, the canvas coverings were taken down. At this time, the designs were identified and color samples were taken to reproduce the 1912 stencil work in the courtroom. The pictures shown are sections of the canvas, which you can see them in the newly-opened exhibit The Courthouse Chronicles. Even after the restoration of the 1970s and 1980s, there are still challenges to maintaining the artwork throughout the building.