by Concordia College students in History 112HU, Fall 2016
The WPA Courthouse Kept Alive
There are many historic buildings that hold a great place in the history of the city; whether it is a large city or a small town, there is history to be told. While some of these stories cannot be told without the historical building in its entirety, these buildings are important to the city they are in, and in some cases, important to more than just that specific city. Some buildings may be closed due to many different reasons, and can only be reopened after certain accommodations have been met. Accommodations may have to do with making the building accessible to everybody, making minor adjustments for safety, or any other adjustment needed; this is known as adaptive reuse. Like many other historical buildings, the Todd County Courthouse has undergone adaptive reuse to utilize the building in its entirety. Adaptive Reuse is a big part in many historical buildings and with the advancements there are in today’s society, it can be done to preserve the heritage of the city and can make an economic and environmental impact.
The Todd County courthouse is located in a small town in Minnesota by the name of Long Prairie. This particular courthouse is said to have plenty of cultural history behind it. The courthouse is a brick building which is built on top of a hill. On the right side of the older image there was a building that was destroyed and was where the actual jailhouse was located. This jail housed many inmates and is no longer there. In the rephotograph there is a building on the left that was built in1996 as the new courthouse. According to the Todd County website, the old courthouse has been changed into something that can be used. After about one hundred and eleven years of use as a courthouse and jail, the historic courthouse was shut down because of certain accommodations that had not been met. There have been adaptations to the building to provide for the courthouse to be useful. Even though it is no longer used as a court or jail site, it can still be useful in other ways. According to the Todd County Website it, “now contains the Veteran’s Service Office, Extension, Public Health and Social Services. Extending a second floor to the building provided additional space for Social Services, the county attorney, technology department and a commissioners’ meeting room.” [1] The new jailhouse that was built after the old jailhouse was destroyed and now holds a whole new purpose for many different functions functions. The Todd County website also states that the new two story building “houses the court administration, two courtrooms, judge’s chambers and the offices of the county’s auditor/treasurer, recorder and assessor.” [2] The original courthouse building was not unoccupied for a long period of time. It made accommodations and was reopened not long after. This building is currently still being used; however the main use is no longer a courtroom. On the Todd county website it was said that it houses the offices of “Planning & Zoning, Geographical Information Systems, and the County Coordinator / Personnel Director. The upper level contains Hands of Hope and the Victims Resource Center. The old courtroom is occasionally used when a third judge is holding cases in the county.” [3] These are just some of the major changes.
There are still some small similarities and differences of the outside physical appearance from the old courthouse to the new courthouse. One big similarity is that there is a flag pole in the same spot in both pictures. This similarity shows that this small town has pride in the country it is located in. As technology advanced, the building advanced. These advancements increased the safety for all the visitors of the historic building. New railings were put in and a new ramp was put in place to make sure that everyone can have access to the old courthouse building since it was built into a hill. As a result of change in the environment and industrialization of the town, there were trees that were taken down to create more space. New lampposts were put in place to aid in lighting the building. However, it seems to be that the original bricks are still in place and in good shape. Using these bricks shows that this building was made to be used for a long period of time. One last thing that is important is that in both pictures there are vehicles on the street. This similarity shows that the street is busy and that there are people who are either employed or visitors. Not only is this street busy, but the building in itself seems to be busy. Because of adaptive reuse, the new and old buildings are being used to their full potential by the community.
Adaptive reuse is a complex thing but it can be done through certain policies. Some of these policies are in place to encourage others on reusing old historical buildings. By restoring these buildings, not only is the building preserved, but the heritage can also be kept around for many other generations to witness. In Ermias Amayu’s thesis written for a requirement in getting a master’s degree, he wrote that throughout history adaptive reuse has been a major idea that changes up a building to be used to its full potential. This concept goes so far back that it was used when the Athena Temple was transformed into a church. All over the world adaptive reuse has been done to preserve the historic architecture and culture of buildings. [4] This quote proves that adaptive reuse has been an important part of the world’s history. Amayu also mentions that “adaptive reuse can assist in preserving the historic and architectural significance of older buildings while at the same time reducing the number of derelict buildings that exist in communities. In addition to this, the adaptive reuse of older buildings also has many important environmental, economic and social-cultural benefits for communities.”[5] These benefits will affect many generations to come.
The environmental benefits consist of using less energy than would be used if a whole new building was built. Instead it is using products that are meant to be used for longer periods of times and can withstand a number of different situations. In most of these buildings there are a variety of structural things that are original and some of these original structures include pipes. As Amayu wrote, adaptive reuse allows for some of the same original structure to continue to be used even if the buildings purpose is changing.[6] This not only saves time for workers, but it also saves money. With the few options for saving money, such as using existing infrastructure, adaptive reuse can also lead to some economic benefits for the city. These economic benefits come hand in hand with the other benefits of reuse.
Socially and culturally, there can be benefits of reuse as well. Amayu says directly that “adaptive reuse projects can also offer other social functions for communities by serving as new focal points.”[7] Some of these new focal points may be special monuments where people meet, or just becoming a focal point of the town that gets people’s attention and gets people wanting to come visit. It can create an image of greatness for the town that gets people to want to come and check it out. Culturally, Amayu says that “these reused buildings can retain attractive streetscapes, add character, provide status and image … and add to a sense of community.”[8] There are many different cultural aspects of cities. Some of the culture in smaller towns may be brought on by farming because of the possible lack of other workforce. If farming has been a major role in the regions history, than it is good to preserve that history and culture of the city and maintain its pride. Another cultural aspect may be that a building was built as part of the Works Project Administration, or it could simply be that there is a specific monument or statue from the founder. Whatever the case, by keeping the heritage alive the community may feel like a whole. The community will be able to gather in a place that is full of history and importance.
Adaptive reuse does not only happen in specific buildings. It can happen in almost any building you can think of. However, it is particularly common in many churches and courthouses. By using adaptive reuse, many towns, whether they are small or large, can utilize spaces that once meant so much to that particular place. It is a way for people to benefit in many different aspects such as social, economic, environmental, and cultural. By utilizing the technique of reuse, towns can restore heritage and importance that may have been shut down for good. The Todd county courthouse is a clear example of this. The building has been restored for a whole new purpose other than a courthouse, new additions have been added, and it is still being used throughout the community today. Adaptive reuse is not a new thing to the world; it has been used for many years all over the world to preserve the heritage of that specific building and community.
[1] Todd County. “Historical Courthouse.” National Register of Historic Site, accessed November 28, 2016. http://www.co.todd.mn.us/content/national_register_historic_sites.
[2] Todd County. “Historical Courthouse.” National Register of Historic Site, accessed November 28, 2016. http://www.co.todd.mn.us/content/national_register_historic_sites.
[3] Todd County. “Historical Courthouse.” National Register of Historic Site, accessed November 28, 2016. http://www.co.todd.mn.us/content/national_register_historic_sites.
[4] Amayu, Ermias. "New Uses for Old Churches: An Examination of the Effects of Planning Regulations on the Adaptive Reuse of Church Buildings." Thesis, Queen’s University, 2014: 6.
[5] Amayu, Ermias. "New Uses for Old Churches: An Examination of the Effects of Planning Regulations on the Adaptive Reuse of Church Buildings." Thesis, Queen’s University, 2014: 8.
[6] Amayu, Ermias. "New Uses for Old Churches: An Examination of the Effects of Planning Regulations on the Adaptive Reuse of Church Buildings." Thesis, Queen’s University, 2014: 8.