Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1895 — A NEW COURT HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

A NEW COURT HOUSE.

The Commissioners-Take the Bull Right by the Morns. And Wisely Decide to no, Longer expose the County to the Incalculable Loss of Destroyed Records. The County Commissioners with their own knowledge of the unsafe edndition of the old court house before them, and confronted by the I rapnrt of sn able- airu'hitcet- declaring that to repair it without rebuilding was impossible, and tbat,in' cage of fire, nothing could save the entire building, including the vaults, and their invaluable contents from total destruction, have decided, wisely as we-believe, to build a new, safe and -adequate court house, —-v The building"will cost about. SIOO,000, and wil be adequate for the present and future needs of the county, for half a century', at least. A yearly tax of only six cents on the SIOO assessed valuation, on the property of the county, will pay the interest on thS long term bonds, and provide a sinking fupd for their payinent. And as the assessed valuation of "our county will soon be doubled, the court house tax can be correspondingly reduced. The order of the Commissioners condemning the old building, anti a new oney-was not entered utftii Tuesday night, and {being nniterlono could not begot upon the records in time for publication, this week. The supplemenal report of the architect, in regard to the feasibility of repairing the»ld building, is as follows: Fojt Wayne, Ind., Dec. 5, 1895. The Han. Board of Commissioners , lsT"<?asper County, Rensselaer. Ind. Gentlemen:—After having given careful consideration to the condition and stability of your Court IlOuSe : building I beg hereby to express the opinion that it is practically iinpossi- : ble to repair in any way the above building, the coudition of the struct- \ are,-especially, the brick work is so • decayed and unsafe that the only way l to repair this building is to re-build . it, certainly 5 nothing can be done to ■ the outside walls without completely ’ tearing them down and renewing. I cannot give you an- estimate on . the probable cost of repairs as I con j sider it impossible to do anything with your structure and have no lies- ; itation in saying that the court house ; is beyond repairing, and should, on \ eo account be allowed to stand, as I < consider it as an unsafe building in l every' respect. )

ALFRED GRINDLE

Architect. ')