State Court House, Alabama

The State Court House in Montgomery, Alabama's capital, was made famous by the controversy that emerged around a two and a half ton stone monument with a tablet listing the Ten Commandments, which was placed in a prominent spot in the lobby of the building, in 2001. The separation of church and state issues it raised divided the nation, and was a national media story for a few years, as court cases battled it out. The National Guard was even called it to protect the monument at some point. The monument is currently in storage, out of public view, though its former prominent location in the lobby is an obvious vacancy. The main steps of the court house are now walled off from the street for security purposes.