Have you ever driven or walked to the back side of the Siskiyou County Courthouse in Yreka? Well now that news is spreading about the demolition of the old courthouse I had to see it for myself.
This old building is beautiful! I was quite sorry to see it obstructed by an atrocious looking building that houses the Sheriff’s Office and a parking lot. It is an amazing piece of architecture and according to our local Yreka Historian and author of Yreka History Blog, Claudia East, this ‘building is one of the oldest in the State of California and is nearly alone in its status because unlike many others near to this age, it has never suffered a fire.’
The building may have skirted fire but was not so lucky when it comes to the county Supervisors. If you haven’t gone to see the old courthouse I really think you should. You will either shrug your shoulders and say, ‘hmph, oh well’ or you will be deeply saddened, like I was, at the thought of losing this piece of local history. Granted, the building has been compromised by the addition of the ‘new’ courthouse that is attached to it like a tumorous growth. Both have recently been painted, I would assume at a significant expense and now to be demolished!? Is this really a good use of our money?
Are there any other options? The county needs more court rooms to handle the load and they need better security to handle the people that are transported from the jail. Most of the county offices are moving to the Klamath Forest Service Building. Seems that would free up a lot of space. Is there any way to save the old courthouse?
This could have been an opportunity for our county to shine. This could have been a project to revitalize this city block into something that truly beautifies downtown and highlights our history. It’s possible that I am totally out of line. There are tons of facts and circumstances that I’m not privy to. Maybe some of our officials would like to chime in on the topic. Please enlighten us! How about you, Joe Public? Do you care?
Do you care!!???? Just curious.
