Yesterday, the facilities committee of the AOC announced great news for the Franklin County Courthouse. The 1835 Gideon Shryock-designed structure (and the historic Good Shepherd Catholic Church) will be preserved in the creation of the new Franklin County “Judicial Center.”
This blog – particularly Nate’s Kentucky 120 Project – has touched on the creation of judicial centers at the expense of historic downtowns and city centers. Strike Franklin County as a win for historic preservation!
A rendering of the “new”courthouse is below (photo from: kentucky.com). Additions made in the mid 1900s will be torn down and new wings will be added to the 1835 structure. The old Catholic Church (c. 1858) is expected to be a non-profit center. At one point, authorities considered adaptively reusing the church itself as part of the courthouse (housing two courtrooms).
