Location:

Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee

Status: 

Completed Summer 2019

Size:

6,780 SF

Client:

Maury County

Shop Team:

James Kennon
Michael Kretz
Spencer McCarty
Ellis Taylor
Beasley Chantharath

Project Collaborators:

General Contractor:
Bell & Associates Construction
Civil Engineer:
Civil Site Design
Landscape Architect:
Heibert + Ball
Structural Engineer:
EMC Structural Engineers
MPE Engineering:
Lee Company
Signage:
Tolleson McCoy

The new Maury County Courthouse Part II, General Sessions Court, replaces the County’s existing courthouse located in historic downtown Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee. The new courthouse significantly improves the safety, security, and functionality of the current General Sessions Court, while also providing required accessibility and accommodations for the general public.

 The exterior of the building takes cues from nearby buildings on Mt. Pleasant’s historic Public Square and Main Street storefronts with brickwork facing each façade. Small brick accent courses add character to the structure, and a welcoming front porch area provides shelter for the public before entering the secure vestibule.

 The inside of the building includes the most current metal detector and X-ray technology in the security vestibule, a vast improvement over the existing Courthouse, where visitors had nearly unrestricted access to the Court area. The large public lobby space provides meeting rooms for client/attorney consultations, or for quick telephone calls in a private space. Adjacent to the lobby is the clerk work area, which includes six transaction windows, custom built-in casework, and ample floor space for filing, copying, and processing payments. Beyond the work area is a large archival storage room, an additional copying/filing area, as well as a break room for staff. The secure corridor ends with a work area for the Courtroom clerks, adjacent to the Judge’s chambers, which are both directly accessible to the Courtroom. The Courtroom is centrally located in the building and features raised acoustical ceilings in an offset grid pattern with high-impact wood laminate wainscoting along the entire perimeter of the room. A custom-designed judge’s bench, attorney’s tables, and public seating are all crafted from stained rift sawn white oak for simplicity and durability. Directly adjacent to the Courtroom is the secure holding cell area, which leads to the exterior sallyport for suspect transfer. 

 The site and landscape design for the building includes low-maintenance groundcover and native ornamental grasses to cover the steep slope near the street corner. The rear staff parking lot is enclosed by a row of trees to shield views from neighboring buildings. New sidewalks connect the Courthouse to both Olive St. and Bluegrass Ave., which provides a direct connection to the city’s historic business district.