Okaloosa County to Put History on Display at New Courthouse
By Aziza Jackson
CRESTVIEW, Fla. — Okaloosa County is looking to incorporate remnants of their history into a new $23.7 million courthouse in time for its grand opening on November 16.
The new 68,500-square-foot facility was completed in July and replaced the old antiquated courthouse originally built in 1953.
Sam Architects, Ajax Building Corporation and Humber-Garick Engineers signed on for the project.
Ajax led the design-build team to replace the original 1953 courthouse that been unable to keep up with the growth of the community. The new facility will provide an efficient design to the citizens of Okaloosa County, while enhancing county services to the public.
Courtrooms and judges chambers, along with court support space will be a primary component of the new courthouse. In addition, the county will house several of its administrative services, including a Board of County Commissioners chamber, in the new facility.
NWF Daily News reports that Okaloosa County Clerk of Court and Comptroller J.D. Peacock wants to help ensure that some local history is recognized when the new courthouse opens in November.
To help honor the county’s roots, Peacock is reportedly considering displaying the first book of the official county record in a public area of the new facility. The large, ledger-type of book could be displayed in a glass case, he said to the NWF Daily News.
The new facility will reportedly include a state-of-the-art electronic law library and modern security features for its evidence storage room and other areas.
“We’re doing a lot of innovative things (with the new building), and I want to make sure we get some history in there as well,” Peacock said to the NWF Daily News.
According the NWF Daily News, Commission Chairman Graham Fountain, who is putting together the program for the courthouse’s grand-opening ceremony, said other historic county items also could go on permanent display. They could reportedly include photos of the cleared, former wooded area that became the site of the original courthouse, as well as old land plats of the Crestview area, Fountain said to the NWF Daily News.
A report from the NWF Daily News contributed to this story.
