Across the street from U.S. Federal Building is the James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse, designed by James Knox Taylor in 1905. Taylor, who was supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury and had been a partner of Cass Gilbert, was merely a highly competent practitioner, not an architectural star. But he was fortunate to work at a time when federal buildings were built—and funded—to last, and crash barriers were limited to the truck dock. His handsome Neoclassical structure has been a strong presence on the street for more than a century, weathering changing functions (it was originally a customs house and has served as a post office) and the 1989 earthquake. The building was recently renovated, and its longevity seems assured. One hundred years from now—in 2108—this granite pile will likely still be there, serving the public in one capacity or another, still useful, still cherished. I wonder if its standoffish neighbor across the street will fare as well.