Ribbon-cutting Ceremony for the

Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse

 

 

The sun rose over the completed Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse for the first time on Good Friday, April 18, as local dignitaries, Chatham County employees, and residents gathered to watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

“This is a great day in Chatham County. This is a day that had been in the planning for more than 25 years,” Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester A. Ellis said he opened the proceedings.  

The new Judge Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse, located at 400 W. Oglethorpe Ave, is adjacent to the existing, J. Tom Coleman Courthouse. Together, the two courthouses form the Chatham County Judicial Complex. The Judge Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse will house the State and Superior trial court functions, while the J. Tom Coleman Courthouse will continue to provide Probate, Magistrate and Recorder's Court services.

The 155,000 square foot building, located at the corner of Oglethorpe and Liberty streets, was built with funding approved by voters in the 2020-2026 Special Purpose Local Option Sale Tax (SPLOST).  The four-story precast structure includes a basement and two new tunnels connecting to the existing courthouse.

Included in the new Courthouse design are the Jury Assembly room that seats 185, offices of the Superior and State Court Clerks, a Multi-Purpose room, four State Courtrooms and eight Superior Courtrooms, each with a Jury Deliberation room and shared holding cells, Superior and State Court Judges Chambers and administrative offices.

Over the next several months Superior and State Court services will move into the new courthouse. It is anticipated the courthouse will be open to the public in June.

The new courthouse has been named for Judge Eugene H. Gadsden, the first African American Superior Court Judge in Chatham County.

As Superior Court Chief Judge John E. Morse, Jr. eloquently opined, “The judiciary stands as the vanguard between tyranny and chaos and gives everyday citizens the opportunity to seek redress and to air differences in a civil manner. And therefore, this particular facility in which the atmosphere and the demeanor of it will give everyone the indication that what we do is serious, what we do is for the betterment, for the good, and for the rule of law. Judge Gadsden was a change agent who helped navigate this particular community during a turbulent time of our history, and through his keen insight, through his wise wisdom, and because of his very pointed pen, he was able to help us get through a period of time of needed change. And therefore, I think it is most befitting in which we dedicate this facility to his memory and to his honor, and that we move forward and understand that this great democratic society in which we live in is a society that is made of the rule of law, and therefore our service that we give is for the service of humanity's good and not for any self-personal aggrandizement.”

Other notable speakers at the ceremony included Senior Judge Michael L. Karpf, retired Chairman Albert J. Scott and Dr. Greer Gadsden Larned and Zoe Larned, Judge Gadsden’s daughter and granddaughter respectively.

 

Take a walk through the new Eugene H. Gadsden Courthouse:

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: