Final beam laid for downtown Spartanburg courthouse. Project on track for October opening.

During a steady, chilly rain, the final beam of the new $120 million Spartanburg County Courthouse was laid in place Thursday – a project funded by a penny sales tax that is entering its final stages and on track to open this October.

"This building will be a first-class building, a product to be very proud of," Jeff Owens, executive vice president at Turner Construction Company, said at a tent-covered topping out ceremony next to the current 1958 courthouse.

The 65-year-old courthouse on Magnolia Street will be demolished when the new one along North Daniel Morgan Avenue opens.

"We've endured through materials issues, cost issues and the job is still tracking on schedule, on budget."

The new 124-foot high, six-story courthouse has been in the works for six years. In 2017, Spartanburg County voters approved a penny sales tax increase to fund it, as well as a new city police station and city-county government complex that will come next.

Ground was broken in July 2021 for the new courthouse.

At the ceremony, Allen Smith, president and CEO of OneSpartanburg, Inc., recalled the intense lobbying efforts to persuade voters to approve the tax, which over six years was expected to raise $217 million. The referendum passed by a margin of 63% to 37%.

He said it was Oct. 30, 2017, when the leaders of the local Democrat, Republican and Tea party leaders came together to endorse the referendum.

"These projects will be paid in full with no debt," Smith said, adding that 30% of the sales tax revenues come from out-of-county residents. "There's no better way to fund these facilities."

Smith said the economic impact of the courthouse project "has been far greater than anticipated. There has been $315 million worth of private investment in projects planned or built because developers see Spartanburg's potential, he said.

Courthouse a focal point, economic boostNew 6-story Spartanburg courthouse seen as a focal point downtown, economic boost

"There has been a historic wave of private investment (since the penny tax passed," Smith said. "Developers see the momentum."

Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Amy W. Cox said the first courthouse in Spartanburg – a log cabin with an attached jail – was built in 1789.

"The purpose of this building is justice," Cox said. "It is on my heart and those who serve every day. We're creating the future to provide justice for all our citizens."

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The current courthouse on Magnolia Street opened in 1958 after first being proposed 20 years earlier, she said. In recent years, deteriorating conditions have contributed to worsening mold problems – prompting County Council to start planning for a new courthouse.

Then-Clerk of Court Hope Blackley, whose persistence helped convince county leaders of the seriousness of the mold problem, attended Thursday's topping out ceremony.

"It's a proud moment for employees, staff and the community to be moving into this structure that will accommodate all," Blackley said. "I hope the community appreciates all the hard work that went into making this happen."

Owens said there are 325 workers at the new courthouse site every day. The exterior is nearly finished. He said Tindall Corporation of Spartanburg supplied 1,101 pre-cast concrete panels for the exterior, some weighing 15,000 pounds.

At 344,000 square feet, the new courthouse will be three times larger than the current one.

County Administrator Cole Alverson said work inside the structure is ongoing, with the installation of drywall, electrical and cable wiring and elevators.

Cox said the contractor will turn over keys to the new courthouse in late September or early October, when the transfer of roughly 300 employees, files and documents takes place.

"It is a difficult process," she said. "The main consideration is the safety of the public and staff. It will be difficult for security staff to secure both buildings at that time."

The new building will be fully furnished, paid for with revenues from the penny tax, she said.

"We will be able to plug in on day one," Cox said.

There will be a total of 18 courtrooms (including three for future growth) in the new building, she said.

The basement will contain a detention facility, maintenance and mailroom along with secure parking for judges.

The first floor will include city and county magistrate and municipal courts. The clerk of court and public defender offices will be on the second floor, and the third floor will contain family courtrooms.

The fourth floor will house the probate and master in equity judge offices, while the entire fifth floor will be used by the 7th Circuit Solicitor's Office. On the top floor will be circuit court and the office of the chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Cox said employees are anxiously awaiting the move.

Chief Deputy Clerk of Court Gail Moffitt has been an employee at the courthouse for 55 years, and has been helping Cox plan the move.

She said she will miss the courthouse, which will be demolished when the move to the new one is complete."I will miss this place. I spent almost every day of my life here," she said. "But I'm glad we're moving forward."

Other Spartanburg projects in the works

Alverson said construction is moving forward on the new 45,000-square-foot city police department facility at the northwest corner of St. John and Forest streets, across from Miracle Hill Rescue Mission. The facility is part of the penny tax projects that the county is overseeing.

What to know: 7 projectsWhat to know: 7 Spartanburg city, county government building projects are in the works

"They're doing the exterior faming now, and are in the early stages of electrical and plumbing," Alverson said.

On the planned 180,000-square-foot joint municipal building, Alverson said architects were determining how many offices will be needed. The design phase should begin shortly, he said.

The site for the joint city-county complex was chosen last April.

The four-to-six story center will be built on West Broad Street, between Spring, Church and Kennedy streets at an estimated cost of $52.3 million. No start date has been set, but construction is expected to finish sometime in 2025.

The building will combine existing functions at the county administration building and City Hall, except for the police and fire departments, which will have their own new facilities.

Also, the new $6 million Emergency Operations Center, also paid for by the penny tax, recently opened.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Final beam laid for Spartanburg courthouse