Buncombe County Courthouse

City planning authority John Nolen recommended a civic center with paired government buildings in his 1922 plan for Asheville though county officials veered away from using City Building architect Douglas Ellington and instead chose a Washington D.C. firm founded by Frank Milburn. The Buncombe County Courthouse became the prolific firm's most opulent public building, with complex setbacks and Neo-Classical ornamentation. A sweeping marble staircase distinguishes the lobby, along with a coffered ceiling over a mosaic tile floor, together composing one of the best-preserved and most elegant Neo-Classical interiors in North Carolina. When completed in 1928, the 17-story building became the tallest local government building in the state.