Construction for the new Forsyth County Courthouse was scheduled to begin February 1st, 2021. The new courthouse will be located on North Chestnut Street, between First and Second Streets, backing up to Patterson Avenue.
It’s neighbor to the north will be the Forsyth County Government Center. It’s neighbor to the south will be Victoria Hall.
Two parking decks are located on the block across the street, on the corner of First and Chestnut to the center of the block. A parking lot is directly across the street.
The parking lot will be a storage area for job trailers and materials. North Chestnut Street between 2nd Street and the entrance to the parking deck will be closing in the near future, lasting about 12 months. There will be other closures and redirections which could last 26 months. Patterson Avenue will be closed between 1st and 3rd Streets for about 24 months. The intersection of Chestnut and 2nd Street will be closed for about 60 days. All of these closures are subject to change.
The location of the new courthouse is steeped in history. This was the location of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s Factory Number 256 complex. The factory complex burned in 1998, resulting in a vacant lot. Since that time, the Forsyth County Government Center was built from R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Factory Number 12. The factory closed in 1990 and, after extensive remodeling, the Government Center opened in 2003. Victoria Hall was damaged from the fire and was rebuilt. Albert Hall, on the corner of Chestnut and First Streets, was repaired.
The new courthouse will be convenient to the Government Center and to the Forsyth County jail, which is located on the corner of North Chestnut and Second Streets. It is the brick (red) building at the right in the photo above. Early accounts of the new courthouse discussed a tunnel that will run from the jail to the courthouse. The courthouse will have dedicated elevators, to transport prisoners within the courthouse and to the courtrooms.
The new courthouse will be the second courthouse structure to be built away from the original courthouse square, where the first Forsyth County Courthouse was built in 1850.
Current photographs courtesy of Molly Grogan Rawls. Photograph of the 256 fire is courtesy of the Photograph Collection of the Forsyth County Public Library.
Stay tuned for the next few weeks when the former Forsyth County Courthouses will be highlighted. The next post, on February 10th, will feature the first Forsyth County Courthouse.
