Elba courthouse changes upset citizens, natives

About 1,800 individuals, both currently living in Elba and outside the city, have taken to social media to express their concerns over recently announced updates to the Coffee County Courthouse in Elba.

In an artist's rendering, currently placed outside the courthouse, the building is shown to have dark brown shutters and gutters and a new metal roof. Many believe these changes will affect the historical significance of the courthouse.

Phillip Morrow, who currently lives in Atlanta, is a native of Elba who is against the changes approved by the Coffee County Commission.

"It's the focal point of the square," Morrow said, also calling the courthouse "part of my roots." "Through the years it's become even more meaningful to me."

According to Morrow, the color changes take away from the beauty of the building currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"It's like they are taking the brown mud from all the floods and smearing it (on the courthouse)," Morrow said. "It's a very heart-wrenching thing to see a part of my past, and it's part of my present, being defaced."

Chelsea Cooper, a native of Elba still living in the city, echoed Morrow's statements about the dark brown color being added to the courthouse facade.

"Our courthouse is clearly very important to the citizens here," Cooper said. "We have lost so much of our history due to natural disasters beyond our control. It has weathered these hardships with us and stands as a testament to the resilience of our town and its people. To cover her in brown, reminiscent of those muddy waters that brought so much heartache to so many of us is a tough pill to swallow."

Van English, a native of Elba currently living in Houston, has a personal connection to the courthouse. According to English, his grandfather's brother, James Oliver English, was one of the first judges to work in the courthouse.

English said that the "red brick, trimmed in white" was "iconic in Southern architecture," and that the brown color scheme was a "mockery" to the historic landmark.

"I would like to know who these people are and what experience do they have with historical buildings," English said, calling the courthouse the "crown jewel of that town." "I also question their level of taste and their appreciation of things historic."

English said that he understood stabilizing the building, but it could be done without the brown gutters. He suggests keeping the trim white, using composition shingles for the roof and using a galvanized metal that is already made white or that can be painted white for the balustrades.

Cooper said one big issue was that the announcement of the changes was sudden and came at a time that citizens were unable to express their concerns before work began.

"I think the real issue is that this design change to our iconic courthouse came as a complete shock to our citizens," Cooper said. "We were not given notice of the changes until a sign was placed in front of the building last week.

"Due to the holiday, the people of Elba were not able to contact their local elected officials to voice their concerns over something they were never publicly asked for input on in the first place. I don't remember seeing a proposed rendering in any newspaper or online before the sign was put up last week."

The changes approved by the commission were made "in line with other renovations" performed around the downtown area lately, according to Coffee County Administrator Rod Morgan. The commission was given several renderings to choose from, with a consensus in favor of the dark brown color scheme.

"There was a great deal of preparation for this, and a good deal of deliberation and consideration," Morgan said.

He said the work did start over the Thanksgiving holiday, but it was known "for a while" that work would start at that time.

According to Morgan, the project has a one-year construction period. It will not be paid for with state or federal monies, rather different funding sources, such as maturing debts held by the commission, will pay for the improvements and renovations.

The improvements are a separate project from the countywide energy saving project that would affect lighting and electrical issues within the courthouse.

Morgan said the courthouse has undergone several changes in the past, some of which were more extensive than the current approved changes.

"The courthouse has undergone numerous changes throughout the years," Morgan said, stating that the building has even had sections added on at some point in its history. "There will be no architectural changes (with our project)."

Commission Chairman Dean Smith said the courthouse project was something he took upon himself to accomplish.

"No commission before would approve (a new roof)," Smith said.

As part of a larger plan for county maintenance needs, the Elba courthouse had many issues that needed to be addressed. Gaps in the roof, or deck, made replacing the shingles almost impossible. Placing a new deck on top of the older one would place too much weight on it, so the commission chose to go with a metal roof.

The rendering showing the brown color scheme was one of three that Smith asked Moseley Studios to provide for the commission. The brown color scheme matched what many other buildings were using as part of revitalization efforts around downtown.

According to Smith, the signs were put up to alert citizens about the changes to the gutters, though the roof work would not happen immediately.

Smith said the changes were necessary to maintain the historic building.

"This is the right thing to do to salvage this building for the future," Smith said.

For citizens to voice their issues to the commission, they can be placed on the agenda for work sessions and regular meetings. All work sessions and regular meetings are open to the public.

To be placed on the agenda for a work session or a regular commission meeting, call Morgan's office at (334) 894-5556.