Walk inside courtroom two at the Skagit County Courthouse in Mount Vernon and you’ll find two torches rising up from the judge’s bench.
But how did the electric torches, with bulbs that mimic flames, get there?
In the original courtroom drawings, the torches aren’t included, said Ken Hansen, the director of Facilities Management in Skagit County. The renderings only show the wood paneling that sits behind the judge. Hansen posited the torches could’ve been added at the request of a judge.
The classical revival-style courthouse was designed by Bellingham architect Thornton F. Doan in 1922, according to the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Doan was a prolific architect between Whatcom and Skagit counties, designing more than 50 school buildings as well as the Beth Israel Synagogue in Bellingham and the President Hotel in Mount Vernon.
In iconography, torches are often seen as a symbol of knowledge, learning and enlightenment. In the United States Supreme Court, visitors will find friezes of torches representing knowledge across the building.
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Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
