U.S. District Courthouse (Harrisonburg, Virginia)

 African American Civil Rights Movement, courthouse, Neoclassical (architecture), NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, federal government, New Deal Depression Relief Project [1933-1945]

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The lobby of this former post office (now a courthouse) bears decorative Works Progress Administration murals showing scenes of rural life. Circa 1990 the post office was closed and relocated. Since 2001, entry to this federal building has sometimes been problematic due to security worries; casual visitors hoping to see the murals are not always welcome. An FBI field office and other federal activities also use the building.

Historically, the 1940 building "is significant for its association with racial desegregation in public education and as the site of judicial rulings directing the desegregation of Virginia’s public schools. In 1956, Judge John Paul, Jr., of the Western District of Virginia, issued the first order in the state pursuant to Brown vs. Board of Education (1954, 1955) directing a public school system to desegregate immediately. In 1958, in another state first, Judge Paul’s order directing the City of Charlottesville and Warren County to admit African American school children triggered orders from the governor to close the affected schools. School desegregation cases continued to be administered from this court throughout the 1960s. The Post Office-Court House is also a significant example of a federal government building erected under New Deal-era federal programs intended to relieve the economic problems caused by the Great Depression. The building was perceived as a symbol of community pride and achievement and as a representation of the federal presence in Harrisonburg."
--Virginia Department of Historic Resources"

NRHP #100002992