Montgomery County Circuit Courthouses

Montgomery County Courthouse Historic District

Grey Courthouse in the foreground, Red Brick Courthouse in the middle ground, and the Judicial Center in the background
Location Courthouse Sq. and S. Washington St., Rockville, Maryland
Coordinates 39°4′59″N 77°9′9″W / 39.08306°N 77.15250°W / 39.08306; -77.15250Coordinates: 39°4′59″N 77°9′9″W / 39.08306°N 77.15250°W / 39.08306; -77.15250
Area 7 acres (2.8 ha)
Architect Davis, Frank; Et al.
Architectural style Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian
NRHP Reference # 86003352[1]
Added to NRHP September 2, 1986

The Montgomery County Circuit Courthouses are part of the Montgomery County Judicial Center located in downtown Rockville, Maryland. The Red Brick Courthouse, located at 29 Courthouse Square, houses the refurbished Grand Courtroom; the newer Circuit Court building, located at 50 Maryland Avenue, houses the remainder of the county's justice system.

Circuit Court for Montgomery County building

The Montgomery County Judicial Center, a Brutalist building constructed in the 1980s, houses the Montgomery County Circuit Court, the Offices of the Sheriff, the Register of wills, the Orphans' Court and the State's Attorney for Montgomery County. The Judicial Center and District Court buildings, together with the Rockville City Hall are located in downtown Rockville, Maryland, at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Jefferson Street (Rte 28). The District Court is on the west side of Maryland Avenue, across the street from the Judicial Center.[2]

History

There have been four court houses in Rockville since it was established as the County seat in 1776. Court was originally held at the Hungerford Tavern until a frame court house was erected in the 1790s. By 1810, a new court house was needed. In 1835 the General Assembly authorized a new brick court house and then again in 1890, the later which was built in a Romanesque Revival style. In 1931 the grey Neoclassical style courthouse was constructed and connected to the 1890 court house to suit the county's growing population. The grey courthouse now serves as home to the District Court of Maryland for Montgomery County.

From 1927 to 1954, the lower level of the courthouse served as the headquarters of the Montgomery County Police Department.[3]

Historic District

The Red Brick Courthouse
The 1931 Farmer's Bank and Trust Company building, noted for its Art Deco style
The Judicial Center in Montgomery County.
The old Rockville post office, built in 1939.

There are several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places within the area; they all make up the Montgomery County Courthouse Historic District,[4] which was designated in 1986.[1] The district is focused on what remains of Rockville's old commercial, governmental, and residential center, most of which was demolished during urban renewal in the 1960s. The district includes two county courthouses, the 1891 red brick Romanesque Revival structure and the 1931 Neo-classical granite building with a 1960s addition, the 1939 Georgian-styled Post Office of limestone construction, and the 1930 Art Deco stone structure built for the Farmers Banking and Trust Company. It extends over an area of two city blocks. The 1891 courthouse was designed by prominent Baltimore architect Frank E. Davis.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Maryland State Trial Courts: Montgomery County". Bean, Kinney & Korman, PC. Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  3. ↑ Montgomery County Department of Police (2001). "1920s". Montgomery County Police: Serving Since 1922. Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 9781563116469. OCLC 49681807. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ Ellen McGuckian, Dwayne Jones, John McNickle, William Neudorfer, Glen Lerner and Richard Griner (March 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Montgomery County Courthouse Historic District" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
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