Local governments are taking advantage of technological progress and advancements in design to fund attractive, efficient and secure justice facilities. But without adequate planning, such advancements can have unanticipated consequences that affect a community on a larger scale.

Historically in the United States, county seats were organized around a town square with a park or plaza and businesses surrounding the courthouse, which served as a central location for government business and public safety. The foot traffic generated by a centralized courthouse location enables many small communities to sustain populations and local businesses that in other towns might dwindle.

Many of these courthouses are grand displays of architecture, but their designs don’t lend themselves easily to adaptation or expansion. In some cases counties are choosing to relocate their offices and services away from the town square, but this decision can be the death knell for local businesses. Officials can be left in a position of having to choose between inadequate facilities or a damaged local economy.

By 2004, Franklin County, Missouri, faced this very problem. The county of more than 93,000 had outgrown its town-square courthouse located in Union. County officials were considering two options:

• Relocating the courthouse to an emergent area outside of the downtown core area.
• Tearing down existing retail and office building on a block in or near downtown core to create space for new mid-rise structures.

Fearing the blight that plagues many small Midwestern towns, the City of Union and its retailers were unified in their desire to keep the courthouse and its business in the downtown area. With these concerns in mind, Franklin County made a commitment to the City of Union by working with Treanor Architects to develop a plan to keep county government business on the town square.

The original courthouse is situated in park-like grounds on a central square facing one- and two-story brick storefronts. A study of county offices showed the need for about 85,000 square feet of new space, but any building of such size would dwarf the buildings on the town square and loom over the historic courthouse.

A decision was made to utilize two county-owned blocks of land located diagonally southeast and northeast from the courthouse to construct two new smaller structures to accommodate court and administrative functions. This strategy has several advantages.

First, breaking the project into multiple buildings allowed the architect to design facilities of a smaller scale that blended seamlessly with the surrounding downtown structures. The size of the buildings also makes facilities less intimidating and more accessible for the general public. This design kept the new buildings lower than the existing historic courthouse, allowing it to remain the dominant structure on the courthouse square. And finally, the decision to construct multiple smaller buildings on county-owned blocks of land leaves plenty of options for future expansion.

The ultimate solution effectively addressed all of the concerns put forth by Franklin County and the City of Union.

A new county administration facility allowed associated personnel to move out of the historic courthouse. That facility’s entrance was located on the corner facing the original courthouse. Second, the county decided to construct a new judicial center with courtrooms and clerks in one building. The center’s entrance also will be situated on a corner to face the town square. The final portion of the plan will see the historic courthouse renovated.

The county’s prosecuting attorney and public defenders will be relocated to that facility whose main entrance will be reconfigured to face east, in the direction of the new structures.

These solutions expand and improve county facilities for employees and the general public while maintaining the historic courthouse square.

Creative thinking coupled with sensitivity to specific requirements led to a tailored design for Franklin County. The county is now reaping the benefits of streamlined services, new technology and efficient use of space while the City of Union continues to enjoy a thriving downtown. This type of creative thinking benefits communities and results in satisfied clients.

»» Statehouse has history of security