The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Courthouse could become new town hall
Preservation trust proposes lasting use for vintage structure
LITCHFIELD — The former county courthouse on the town green has been a fixture in the community for generations. Under a plan presented this week by the Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust, it would continue to serve residents for years to come as the home of town government.
Members of the trust presented an overview of their plan to the Board of Selectmen this week.
“With the state vacating the building, the trust interest is to acquire, preserve and protect the historical and architectural features for reuse. We also are interested in continuing its economic viability,” said trust President Paul Hinkel. “And we also understand that the town is in need of a new town hall, or a replacement town hall, and that is the direction we are looking to go to ... we just think that this seems to be the higher and better use for this facility.”
Under the plan proposed by the trust, the interior of the former courthouse would be reconfigured into office space for the municipal government, with a design based off suggestions made by the Facilities Committee in a September 2016 report.
Architects from Cambridge Seven Associates Inc. estimate the cost of the conversion, which would include an addition designed to improve accessibility for handicapped visitors, at $5.2 million, according to documentation presented Tuesday.
This would include $250,000 for landscaping and other site improvements, $4.48 million for the renovation of the existing building and $478,550 for new additions. The cost of constructing a new town hall was estimated at $5.9 million in the September 2016 plan generated by the facilities committee.
The trust is engaged in an effort to gain title to the building.
Six families donated land for the construction of the courthouse, according to trust member Carol Bramley. Only one claim, that of the Beckwith family, can be traced to the present, she said.
A special act aimed for inclusion in the bill to implement the state budget would strip away
“With the state vacating the building, the trust interest is to acquire, preserve and protect the historical and architectural features for reuse. We also are interested in continuing its economic viability.” Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust President Paul Hinkel
the claim of the families other than the Beckwiths, and the trust would then buy the property, she said.
Hinkel said the trust expects to take ownership of the property Oct. 31. If it is able to acquire it, the trust would aim to find interim uses for the courthouse to defray associated costs — perhaps as office-sharing space, Hinkel said. The process of converting the building would likely take years, he said.
“We look at it as sort of a unique opportunity. It has such an enormous presence, which you really realize when you drive down North Street toward the center of town. It’s a focal point,” said Bramley. “It’s not anything that any of us would have asked for at this point in time, but it is an opportunity, and if we can be creative and sort of figure out a way to make it work.”
Selectmen indicated they were interested in considering the plan further if it was decided to pursue
the idea of a new Town Hall. The board has not looked at the concept of renovating or constructing a new town hall in over a year, First Selectman Leo Paul said.
Paul said the potential project would be something to consider in the long term.
“We definitely have to look at this as an option. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it,” said Paul. “It’s a critical piece of the community.”
The former Litchfield Judicial District courthouse closed in August, as the state began to shift judicial proceedings to Torrington. The former Bantam courthouse has also closed, with officials considering a plan to convert the annex to affordable housing.