NEWS

New Castle’s Courthouse Annex Attracts New Development

A wave of downtown development is poised to revive a prominent landmark on New Castle’s Courthouse Square.

New Castle Annex Building

A Rising Tide

Downtown New Castle is enjoying a surge of downtown revitalization, thanks in large part to investment from New Castle Main Street and the city’s redevelopment commission. The positive wave is poised to buoy a long-vacant property on the courthouse square.

As other buildings in the city’s historic downtown enjoyed rehabilitation, New Castle’s Courthouse Annex—a current entry on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list—continued to languish, used primarily as a facility for storing county records. With no funds for its maintenance, the building continued to deteriorate.

Advocacy to save the Courthouse Annex finally prompted county commissioners to open a request for redevelopment proposals. In May, county officials accepted a bid from WTP Group LLC, led by Minnesota architect Andrew V. McGlory.

“I am excited to have the Annex Building on the road to rehabilitation and look forward to seeing this historic building brought back to life as an asset for Henry County and New Castle as a whole,” says County Commissioner Bobbi Plummer.

McGlory plans to turn the three-story Classical Revival building into a boutique hotel, restaurant, and bookstore. He hopes rehabilitation of the Courthouse Annex will revitalize an important intersection in downtown New Castle, bringing new tenants and retail options to the community. “I am really excited about this project because I see it as a catalyst for the development of additional buildings in the area,” he says.

Courthouse Annex, New Castle

As the County works to remove records from the building, WTP Group is finalizing plans and funding, aiming to begin work in late spring/early summer of 2023. Preservation advocates and city officials will breathe a sigh of relief once construction begins. In the meantime, Indiana Landmarks’ staff will continue to monitor the project and offer technical support.

For more information, contact Brittany Miller, director of Indiana Landmarks’ Eastern Regional Office, 765-478-3172, bmiller@indianalandmarks.org.

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