Spartanburg County: New Year, New Courthouse

The legal community in Spartanburg County will soon roam the halls of a brand-new courthouse. The new Spartanburg County Courthouse is set to open to the public Jan. 22 after years of planning and construction.

Funding for the $120 million project was approved in 2017, and the county broke ground on the project in July 2021.

“We’d like to thank the voters who approved the Penny Referendum in 2017 and made this much-needed courthouse a reality,” said Scottie Kay Blackwell, communications manager for Spartanburg County. “We are excited to know that this facility will positively impact many people’s lives, and we believe it will be a courthouse of which Spartanburg County can be proud of for years to come.”

The new facility is expected to immediately house about 300 employees with room to grow. But it wasn’t just more space that was needed. The previous courthouse opened in 1958 and “no longer meets the standards in terms of security, technology and space,” Blackwell said.

“With all the growth we’re experiencing in Spartanburg County, we’re going to need additional space to accommodate our growing judicial needs. The problems we’ve faced with the current courthouse simply could not be fixed with the existing facility,” she said. “We believe this new facility is something our community needs and deserves, and we feel certain it will be a continuation of the momentum we’re already seeing downtown.”

A plaza will be built in place of the old courthouse, which will be demolished later this year.

“It will serve as a beautiful, fitting entrance to an important and grand building,” Blackwell said. “It could also serve as a meeting place for attorneys, litigants and other Spartanburg County residents or visitors exploring the downtown area. The new courthouse and its plaza will undoubtedly be an impressive focal point for our community.”