Tearing Down the Court House

About 50 years ago, the Botetourt County Courthouse in nearby Fincastle burned down. I only have a vague memory of it happening, but my father-in-law was one of the firefighters who went to fight the blaze, so I have heard stories about it from my husband.

The courthouse was rebuilt mostly with funds from the community and some tax dollars. It was built to look very much like its predecessor.

Unfortunately, like much construction in the 1970s, the courthouse rebuild was not the best. Over time, its exterior began to crumble and inside there was black mold. The county staff also outgrew the facility, which was relatively small to hold the Circuit Court, the Commissioner of Revenue, the Treasurer, and the County Administration.

Perhaps better upkeep by the county would have kept the structure in better shape, but that would have been done with tax dollars. The same people who are gnashing their teeth and crying because this old building is being torn down to be replaced with a newer model are the same people who complain about having to pay taxes. Their inability to understand that it takes tax dollars to do public things always amazes me.

At any rate, the process is underway and in a few years we will have a big new courthouse. But first comes the tearing down part.

This was the courthouse in 2018.

This is the courthouse without the steeple, and with fencing around it.
It is empty now. Circuit Court is being held at new space created
in the jailhouse, and the records and staff are in an older building to the
left of this photo.

This is to the left of the courthouse. The white building once housed emergency services
and then served as a community building. It will also be torn down and this area
will become a multi-level parking area. The brick structures will remain.

They are blasting this week. That's what all the stuff on the side of the hill is.

This is the backside of the courthouse. As you can see, it is being demolished.

I took this shot to show the top where the clock is from the rear.

I think the destruction of the front of the building will be the most painful for residents who saw this structure as the signature building for Botetourt County. I'm not sure when that will occur, but I daresay it won't be long in coming.