Months after fire burns through Floyd County Historic Courthouse, building's future remains in question

Many questions remain about the future of the Floyd County Historic Courthouse in Rome after a fire burned through the iconic structure back in March.

The building, located on West 5th Avenue, remains surrounded by a fence.

In April, plans to stabilize the historic site began, but as of mid-July, officials are working to see what can be done.

According to a statement from Floyd County Facilities Manager Ryan Davis, the courthouse is waiting to have debris removed by a qualified contractor. After that, he says engineers will assess the building's structural integrity and decide what can be salvaged.

"All the fire debris inside the building is still there. The second floor of the building contains charred debris from the roof and attic. The first floor of the building contains unsalvageable office material and furniture," Davis said. "Right now, the inside is large piles of rubble from collapsed ceilings and in a couple of places where the floor above caved in. One of the three chandeliers from the main hallway is still hanging, but the other two are laying on the ground."

Davis said the building remains open, allowing rainfall to collect and run into its basement. The building's stairwells are still inaccessible because of collapsed ceilings and handrails.

He said the next steps will be contingent upon an evaluation, and any costs associated with any related projects would be funded by insurance.

Devon Smyth, a board member of the Rome Area Heritage Foundation, said the organization has been working closely with the county and Rome's Community Foundation.

"There's been a lot of conversation about whether or not it can be restored," Smyth said. "Right now we're waiting to hear whether or not the courthouse is stable enough to even be renovated."

Smyth said additional funding for restoration would come from private donors. If the courthouse can't be saved, all donors will be asked whether they'd like to be part of a new project related to the historic courthouse, or receive their money back in what Smyth called a fiscally responsible and transparent process.

As far as the historical significance of the courthouse, it has been around for generations of families dating back to when it was built in the 1890s. Smyth said she'd hope, if deemed restorable, the architecture could mimic the original's.

"Just the grief of losing a landmark and losing history in our community felt monumental," Smyth said. "This has a history that holds a lot of character and differences than just a newer modern build, so if we can take it back to what it was, that would be a beautiful way to honor the work that people have done over time."

"If someone is watching this from Atlanta, they may recognize it to be similar to North Avenue Presbyterian Church or the tower at Georgia Tech. It's the same architectural firm that designed those places that also did our courthouse here," she continued. "The courthouse over there near Milledgeville in Sparta; their courthouse was almost completely demolished by fire, and they came back and have rebuilt. So, we know there's a roadmap already out there should there be a possibility."

The process of debris removal could take several months.

While the fire started during renovations to the courthouse, its exact cause is still under investigation.