County Courthouse seen as history by some, risk of danger by others
The Cache County Council is still trying to decide whether the Cache County Courthouse should be preserved for its historical value or torn down because it is a danger and a hazard to the community.
Designed by the architect who designed the Logan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple, Truman O. Angell Jr., and built by the Logan United Order Manufacturing and Building Company in 1883, the Cache County Courthouse holds much historical value for the city of Logan.
Many argue that the old courthouse is an integral part of Cache County and should be preserved at any cost.
“It’s no more hazardous than any of the other [older buildings in the area],” said Chief Building Inspector Kevin Croshaw. “I think preserving the courthouse is more important than some of the other buildings we have preserved.”
Croshaw said as many interior walls as the courthouse has, it would probably have a better chance of standing than many other buildings would if a disaster such as an earthquake hit Cache Valley.
Kirk Huffaker, community services director for the Utah Heritage Foundation, said the Cache County Council commissioned a report to determine the condition the building was in and was informed it was in sound condition but needed upgrading.
Huffaker said those who say the courthouse should be torn down “don’t understand the possibilities of how the building could serve the public. There is a lot of history in that building, and I feel strongly that that history and architectural style would be an incredible loss – not only to the state but to the local area.”
On the flip side of the argument is the claim that the building is inconvenient and a danger to the community.
“[The courthouse] has no elevators. It’s hard for older citizens because it isn’t very accessible,” Croshaw said. “The electrical and mechanical systems are outdated. They have made a few upgrades but a lot of the wiring is not accessible. There is no cooling and the building is heated by an old boiling system.”
In short, the courthouse “would need some major renovations.”
“Some pros to demolition would be a new, convenient building,” Croshaw said. “But we can build a new, convenient building elsewhere and preserve the courthouse as a county office or even as a museum.”
Huffaker agreed. “I would encourage the county to [rehabilitate] the building and use it. It has equally strong possibilities for the future [as it did in the past],” he said.
“I perceive [the county] building a new building while preserving the old,” Croshaw said. “I don’t see them tearing it down. There is too much history in that building.”
The issue is currently in the Cache County Council and Croshaw hopes a new and larger building will be built within the next four or five years.