This week marks the fifth anniversary of the day the courthouse was saved.
In 1916, when Palm Beach County had only 18,000 residents and Military Trail would have been considered “out of town,” it spent $135,000 — some $2.8 million in today’s dollars — to build its first courthouse, a 38,400-square-foot, three-story neoclassical structure that housed both courts and county offices. A 1927 expansion doubled the size of the complex.
By 1967, the post-war boom had expanded the county’s population. A study recommended a new courthouse. Instead, the county opted to expand. It tore down the courthouse’s iconic columns and plastered a “wraparound” that was finished in 1972, which created a 232,150-square-foot box. With more and more growth, the courthouse continued to groan under its added burden. A new complex opened in 1995.
But what to do with the old building?
As is often the case in a community with few roots, many endorsed just tearing down the monstrosity. Others begged to save it. In 2002, the county commission opted for the latter.
Over the next several years, workers painstakingly salvaged limestone, granite, marble wainscot, windows and mosaic floor tiles; even doorknobs. The original columns and capitals from both the 1916 courthouse and 1927 addition — 20 in all — had been moved to nearby Hillcrest Cemetery, in hopes that the courthouse would one day be restored. Stone carvers and masons hoisted the massive — up to 3 tons — columns back into place.
On March 15, 2008, the original courthouse, restored for $18.9 million, opened as the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum and home to the Historical Society of Palm Beach County.
In the museum’s first year, it hosted 15,665 visitors. The 3,500-square-foot complex tells the story of Palm Beach County. The museum’s collection includes 3,000-year-old spearheads,fine hotel china, dioramas and a replica of a pioneer house.
The restored, historic 1916 courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach serves as the home for the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum and the offices of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. (C.J. Walker/The Palm Beach Post 2008)
The Palm Beach Post published a photo timeline of the courthouse restoration on March 13, 2008. Click on the images below to view larger versions.