Should the Courthouse Rotunda be Demolished?

Word that the Bucks County commissioners are considering tearing down the round judicial wing of the courthouse in the middle of town took Doylestown's elected officials and residents by surprise Thursday.

Demolishing the rotunda is one option the county is mulling as part of its plans to build a new justice center across North Main Street. But Doylestown officials say the county never reached out to them about the idea of demolishing the rotunda.

"The county didn’t communicate this intention at all," Doylestown council president Det Ansinn said Thursday morning. "To read about it in the paper was a shock to elected officials and staff, and to have such a dramatic proposal without even talking to us first seems to me to be getting things off to a bad start."

Bucks County commissioner Charley Martin told Doylestown Patch county officials didn't contact borough officials because demolishing the rotunda is just one of many ideas for the future of the courthouse complex in the heart of Doylestown.

"It's extremely premature to focus on that one option," Martin said Thursday. "We are simply asking for ideas on reusing this space, which has always been our goal. We have no specifics about how much it would cost to renovate the rotunda versus what it would cost to tear it down and build on that spot."

Representatives of more than 50 companies met at the courthouse Wednesday for a pre-bid meeting on the county's request for proposals for reusing the courthouse, Martin said. The bids aren't due back until April, he said.

Until then, there's not much to talk about, Martin said.

Over the years, there have been dozens of ideas on what to do with the building.

"One suggestion was to turn it into a performing arts center, and someone else suggested adding a day care for our employees," the longtime commissioner said, adding that contractors' evaluations of the building's stability and suitability will be key to the final deciion. "We won't know what we're going to do with it until we have a better idea what we can do with it."

Built in 1962, the rotunda portion of the current courthouse is devoted to the Bucks County court system. The county has outgrown it and is building an $84 million replacement across North Main Street.

Consolidating county offices from around Doylestown and the rest of the county into the existing courthouse would save county taxpayers on rent. But officials have said the rotunda's unique shape might make that difficult.

Complicating matters is the fact that the Bucks County courthouse is in Doylestown's historic district.

"There are requirements they would have to go through," Ansinn said. "When you’re proposing plans like this, you can't just go out and do it."

But Martin said he is well aware of the formalities.

"The borough can rest assured we will work with them closely when it gets to that point," the county commissioner said. "We're just not there yet."

So, what do you think? Should the rotunda be torn down? Vote in the poll, then share your reasoning in the comments.

Have you got a great idea for reusing the courthouse rotunda? Performing arts center? Arcade? Trader Joe's or Whole Foods? Share your ideas here.