The first floor of the 1938 McKinley County Courthouse remains largely in its original condition, including its terrazzo flooring and tile wainscoting. While it is not known where or by whom these tiles were manufactured, it is probable that they are the output of a New Deal era vocational school or workshop. They appear to be designed and made specifically for the courthouse to complement its Southwestern architecture and the many Diné (Navajo) sandpainting-style wall paintings and Nuevomexicano tinwork light fixtures decorating its lobby. The primary pattern within the installation, seen in the arrangement of tan and blue tiles along the wide middle band, is a familiar alternating stepped-triangle design found in Diné weavings and baskets. Additionally, the motif of the second-to-top row of tiles echoes that of Ancestral Puebloan T-shaped doors (which are also used in the architecture of the courthouse in two instances).
(Note: The painted “District Attorney” sign seen in this photograph is a recent addition done in the same lettering style used in 1939 when the courthouse was opened.)
