New $430M Montgomery Co. Justice Center Approved In Norristown

NORRISTOWN, PA — The new Montgomery County Justice Center received final approval from the Norristown Municipal Council on Tuesday evening, as they voted unanimously in support of the project.

The expansive project, which has been three years in the making, is being undertaken by the county, not the municipality of Norristown. Yet the council's approval was required to move forward, and the construction is a key piece of the broader plan to revitalize downtown Norristown and the overall appearance of Main Street.

"Norristown has been integrated into the planning from the beginning,"Tom Bonner, director of assets and infrastructure for Montgomery County, told the council during a presentation Tuesday. "The revitalization of Norristown, the incorporation of the retail strategy as propagated by the borough government, has been a central tenet of the project."

The new Justice Center will modernize and restore the historic Montgomery County Courthouse, which was built in the mid-1800s and restored in 1904, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The project will also demolish the existing parking garages, the Wells Fargo Bank, and the 1967 addition to the courthouse to make way for the new structure.

Peter Glasing, the lead architect for the project with the firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, said that the design paid careful attention both to the history of the existing courthouse and the role which the property would play in the future of downtown Norristown.

"(We considered) the role of Hancock Square as a community oriented space," he said, noting the public park that will serve as a centerpiece. "With the hope the building continues to be honored, and to expand its life into the future."

The renovation of the historic courthouse will include making it fully accessible, bringing its infrastructure up to "modern standards," and revitalizing its aging core. It will also "correct building circulation to provide secure routes for judges, staff, witnesses, and detainees," according to an official project layout from the Assets and Infrastructure Department.

The hope is that the new Center will be sufficient for the next century.

The new building will include more than 50,000 square feet and 18 courtrooms, with an underground parking garage for 75 vehicles accessing Main Street. New landscaping areas, retaining walls, memorial areas, lighting, and stormwater management infrastructure are also part of the construction.

David Hahn, capital projects programs director for Montgomery County, said Tuesday that the final size of the overall building had been reduced from original plans. More than 6,000 square feet were shaved off from the original plans, mainly by decreasing the size of most of the new courtrooms. It now no longer directly borders the edge of county property, leaving about a 10-foot buffer. But the change is scarcely noticeable, he believes.

"The building has not changed in appearance," he said.

It's just the latest new development in Norristown, which has seen a new recreation center open last December, $126,000 worth of park renovations completed last November, and a recovery community center announced in January.

Input from Norristown officials to the county helped to shape the project, both municipal and county officials said, including everything from the design and size of the building to the appearance of the facade on Main Street.

Officials have not yet announced exactly when construction will begin, though it has been previously stated that things would get underway before the end of 2020. It's slated to be completed by 2025.

The full presentation from the county for the new Center is available online.