Public Gets First Look At Bucks County Justice Center

An otherwise seemingly unremarkable Saturday held huge implications for those involved in the court system in Bucks County.

The new roughly $90 million Bucks County Justice Center in Doylestown was dedicated on Saturday with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a dedication event in which many people associated with the new building spoke to an invited audience.

In attendance of the dedication were many prominent local figures, including Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-8), State Representative Frank Farry ( R -142), and State Senator Tommy Tomlinson (R-6). In addition to the prominent local figures present, judges, the Bucks County Commissioners and staff from the courts were also present and sat at the front of the ceremony.

Before the ceremony began, hundreds flooded into courtroom 410, the ceremonial courtroom that held the fanfare at the dedication. The crowd vibrated as people who helped with the new building, or people related to people who were close to those responsible, excitedly talked of the gorgeous new facility in which they sat.

“This is one of those dates, one of those moments that will go down in Bucks County history,” explained Fitzpatrick, a former county commissioners, during the dedication ceremony. “What we see now, is the result of years of hard work.”

The sentiment among many of the honored speakers echoed Fitzpatrick’s thoughts.

Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia began by explaining that her relationship with Commissioner Charles Martin strengthened throughout the course of the building manifesting.

“We’ve had to pull ourselves together,” said Marseglia, a Levittown resident.

Martin, in explaining the course that the new courthouse took to completion, remembered what one of the designs looked like.

“It looked like a castle in Disneyworld,” he laughed. “All in all, it came out very, very nicely.”

PHOTOS: Tour The New Bucks County Justice Center

“This is truly a victory for Bucks County. You have made our Bucks County a better place because of this project,”said Lt. Governor James Cawley, a former county commissioner.

After all of the honorary speakers had a chance to share their thoughts, the assembly moved to the first floor lobby to partake in a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Following the ribbon cutting was a selfguided tour where those in attendance could meander through the new courthouse at their own discretion and stop in the cafeteria for refreshments.

On Sunday, more than 1,200 people filled the halls and courtrooms of the 285,000-square-foot justice center to check out all it has to offer when it opens for business in the coming weeks.

“I think this facility is absolutely magnificent. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I drove up to this building,” Falls Township resident Helen Eiseman said.

From the nearly 300 security cameras to the Mercer tiles that dot the walls, visitors walked in and out of offices, prisoner holding cells and state-of-the-art courtrooms.

Bucks County Director of Operations Jerry Anderson has said the building is a “100-year facility” and has room for expansion, citing unfinished space on the fifth floor.

One of the highlights on Sunday seemed to be the fireplace of the 1909 Doylestown Armory complex that was preserved when the justice center was built. The fireplace, with its elegant design, sits in a cafeteria on the second floor.

Despite disagreements between the commissioners on certain aspects of the project, the building is preparing to open without any major issues.

The new building was a little more than a year behind schedule because of several roadblocks the project faced early on. A land dispute with a property owner and complications incorporating the facade of the more-than-100-year-old Doylestown Armory pushed back the start date.

The county is currently working on a plan that would see the current courthouse and administration building undergo renovations. Official said in the summer the county could save cash by cutting out the current network of decentralized offices and using the soon-to-be empty space in the courthouse.

In the coming week, documents, equipment and furniture from the current 54-year-old courthouse across the street will be moved into the new building.

County public information director Chris Edwards showed off the new building to guests and reporters on Sunday. He said the building will provide a new and improved place for the courts.

“This really did turn out nice.”

Related:

• Bucks County Justice Center Preparing For Opening
• New Bucks County Justice Center Moving Closer to Finish Line
• County to Repurpose Old Courthouse When New One Opens
• County Drops $639K on Chairs for Courthouse
• New $86.5 Million Courthouse Project Moving Along