TERRE HAUTE — A new federal courthouse was officially dedicated Thursday amid federal judges, Terre Haute attorneys and city officials.
The new courthouse at 921 Ohio St. rests on a 1.9-acre site at 91/2 and Ohio streets. The one-story brick building with stone facade has 14,310 square feet, according to a fact sheet at the ceremony from the U.S. General Services Administration.
The courthouse was built by Thompson Thrift Development Corp., which will pay property taxes. Thompson Thrift is leasing the facility to the federal government under a 20-year lease. The annual rent is $570,598, according to the GSA fact sheet.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Frank J. Otte said the courthouse “is a success story, the result of the work of very many people. It was brought about, things like this just don’t happen, but it was brought about because there were people in the community” who worked to keep the courts, he said.
Otte said the former courthouse, at Seventh and Cherry streets, which will become part of Indiana State University, was made in the Art Deco style of the 1930s, while the new courthouse has a “Williamsburg look.”
“The only real constant in life is change, and yet we all resist it,” Otte said.
“There are differences, changes from the old” courthouse, he said, commenting on how he had to solicit help from security officials to enter the new building with new security devices.
“They said all you have to do is remember your PIN number. But when you get a little senior, you don’t use the number, you use the sequence,” Otte said.
“Well, when you walk up to the machine out here and put your card against it, the numbers change. And if you are slow about it, the numbers change again, so every time you look at the sequence, they are different,” Otte said.
“The 2 goes to the top, then to the bottom and the 5 moves to the right. I learned how to do it and I must say that it was kinda interesting to have nostalgia for a key,” he joked.
Otte said he wondered about people in 1935, when the former federal courthouse first opened in Terre Haute, if they had a similar experience. “Did somebody walk to the elevator and look at that and say, ‘aaaah, I’m not getting in that box,’” he said.
“That is the change that we live with and is the aspect of life that we can’t truly get away from,” Otte said. He said the new courthouse “is a new look and I like it.”
Otte and U.S. District Judge Larry J. McKinney each thanked Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., for working to secure the new courthouse in Terre Haute. McKinney, who served as chief judge of the Southern District of Indiana from 2001 to 2007, was part of a group that worked closely on the project.
“The very fact of this building’s existence is a slap in the face of cynics and naysayers and nabobs of negativism, if you don’t mind me quoting Spiro Agnew,” McKinney said, saying approval had to be made from numerous federal agencies.
“Our goal was to have a quality facility that is not an insult to the taxpayer and one that is within the budget that we had. There were serious perimeters. This building had to be within the same cost perimeters to the court as the old building,” he said.
“The process of getting this building here is not unlike pulling Excalibur out of the stone. Only those who were hard-working people of goodwill and had some vision of the future could pull that sword out of the stone. I am telling you there were a lot of them” who made the courthouse happen, McKinney said.
McKinney said he has family ties to Terre Haute, saying his father graduated from ISU in 1938 and his grandfather from ISU in 1903. His parents also married in Terre Haute, he said.
“My father said after you get out of school, the concept of intelligence changes. In school it is grades … intelligence when you are out is measured by the ability to get things done. If that is true, Laura Briggs [Clerk of the Court for the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana] is the smartest damn clerk in the United States,” McKinney said, commenting on how she worked to get finances in line for the new courthouse.
Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com
Local & Bistate
New federal courthouse dedicated in downtown Terre Haute
- Local & Bistate
-
-
UPDATE: Fatal semi accident closes eastbound I-70 in Hendricks County
A fatal semitrailer accident and resulting material spill earlier this morning resulted in the closing of eastbound Interstate 70 at the 57-mile marker in Hendricks County, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The roadway remained closed as of 2 p.m.
-
Valentine's Day a rosy business
Red roses, mixed bouquets and even a bonsai tree or two are being delivered today on perhaps the nation’s sweetest holiday.
-
Downtown gets Wi-Fi ‘hotspot’
Frontier Communications has reached an agreement with city officials to create a Wi-Fi “hotspot” covering much of downtown Terre Haute.
-
Board OKs $5.4M in work at schools
The Vigo County School Board has approved borrowing $5.4 million for an expansion of DeVaney Elementary School and energy-related projects at 15 other schools.
-
Stella’s Cafe downtown plans to close March 2
Not long after changing its name from Bit of Britain Tea Room to Stella’s Cafe, a downtown restaurant has announced plans to close its doors.
-
Bill would ease college credit transfers
Indiana college students worried about whether their credit hours will transfer to another university may get some relief if a proposed higher-education bill passes.
-
Court alters trial date for man accused in 1979 death case
A trial date has changed for a Riley man accused of a 1979 homicide.
-
Shift to online raises school cost concerns
Legislation that would require high school students in Indiana to take at least one online course is meeting resistance from some school administrators who say they can’t afford any more mandates from the state.
-
Cops nab man after squad car struck
A West Terre Haute man was arrested Monday after a police pursuit that began after his vehicle collided with a Terre Haute police car.
-
Victim unhurt when robbed by gunman
Terre Haute police were searching late Monday night for a suspect accused of using a gun to rob another person at about 7 p.m.
-
Man face gun charge after woman shot in leg
A Terre Haute man faces a misdemeanor firearms charge following an accidental shooting during the weekend.
-
Packing the hall
If you didn’t come early, the seats were hard to find.
-
Alternative-fuel project has Rose, ISU students all charged up
The future of Earth’s auto industry is intertwined with the career prospects of local university students, and a world-class team shined with green energy Sunday.
-
Montford Point Marine
In 1943, 19-year-old Ezell Odom was on the sandy beach of a tiny South Pacific island about 7,000 miles from his parent’s home in Terre Haute.
-
K-9 officer Shadow honored as a hero
A Terre Haute K-9 officer injured in the line of duty has been honored as a hero by the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.
-
Freezin’ for a Reason
Hundreds lined up outside Hulman Center amid frigid air to participate in a warm-hearted cause.
-
Even as law, right-to-work dominates crackerbarrel
The flames of the right-to-work debate were gone, but the coals still seemed to smolder.
-
Vigo School Board to give OK on bonds for DeVaney project
The Vigo County School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the administration building, 686 Wabash Ave.
-
Bridging the gap to ‘forever’
They can be taken from their homes by strangers for reasons they may not understand, with no possessions other than the clothes they are wearing.
-
Students showcase keen problem-solving skills at Rose-Hulman
For the 16th straight year, Honey Creek Middle School students came out on top in the Wabash Valley MATHCOUNTS competition at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
-
Ivy Tech to celebrate Black History Month
Ivy Tech Community College will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events at its campuses statewide.
-
Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies
Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.
-
Giant welcome home for Steve
Terre Haute was suddenly home to thousands of cheering New York Giants fans Friday as residents welcomed Super Bowl champion Steve Weatherford back home for a parade.
-
‘One for Terre Haute,’ Steve tells crowd at North
“This one was for Terre Haute,” native son Steve Weatherford proclaimed Friday as he shared his Super Bowl victory with the community that helped send him on the path to a world championship.
-
Hometown support vital to success, Weatherford says
Steve Weatherford said Friday he wouldn’t be celebrating a Giants’ Super Bowl victory if not for the support he’s received from his hometown, his parents and mentors in his life.
-
Craning for a rare glimpse
A visitor from the Far East has naturalists flying to Linton, hoping some good comes from one bird’s bad directions.
-
Vigo’s primary election filings complete
The slate is set for the May 8 primary election, with the race for three at-large seats on the Vigo County Council drawing the largest pool of candidates at the county level.
-
Documentary on electric vehicles plays Sunday at Rose
The rising popularity of electric vehicles and their impact on the world eco-system is the focus of a documentary, “Revenge of the Electric Car,” being presented at 3 p.m. Sunday in Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Hatfield Hall Theater.
-
Man gets 10-year sentence in battery case
A West Terre Haute man received a 10-year prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to aggravated battery for beating a friend caught in bed with the man’s wife.
-
Asian hooded crane lands in Greene County wildlife area
Bird watchers are flocking to a southwestern Indiana wildlife area to try to catch a glimpse of a crane usually spotted only in Asia.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
UPDATE: Fatal semi accident closes eastbound I-70 in Hendricks County
Raw Video: Kim Jong Il Statue Unveiled
Authorities: Houston Found Underwater in Tub
Raw Video: Houston Body Flown From L.A. to N.J.
Raw Video: Hearse Arrives at N.J. Funeral Home
Arm Wrestler Not Guilty Plea in Wife's Death
Trial Opens for Ala. Man in Bride's Diving Death
Baltimore's 'Crime Stopper' Is a Basketball Star
First Person: Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Obama's New Budget: The Winners and Losers
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Bacteria Keep Swimmers Off Some Fla. Beaches
Police: Houston Found Under Water, Unconscious
Gregoire: Marriage Equality Is Right for Wash.
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
Coroner: Don't Know Houston's Cause of Death Yet
Sandusky Can See Grandkids, Have Local Jury
Attempted Bomb Attack Stopped in Georgia
Israeli Diplomats Targeted in India, Georgia
And the Winner for Best Super Bowl Ad Is...
Raw Video: Israeli Embassy Car Attacked
Sports Illustrated Cover Leaked
Kate Upton MLB 2K12 Commercial
Olympic Swimmer Proposes on Podium After Big Win
Whitney Houston Funeral Arrangements Set
Scarlett Johansson's Bikini P-D-A
Man Allegedly Drowns Wife While Scuba Diving
The 'Celebrity Apprentice' Cast Meets Donald Trump
Wash. becomes 7th state to okay same-sex marriage
Romijn's 60 Pound Weight Loss
Kissing contest heats up
Hugh Hefner's Son Arrested
Jacqueline Kennedy's personal papers released
Did Tyler Perry Have a Secret Wedding?
Iran denies Israeli embassy bombings
'Bachelor' Free Falls into the Ocean
Facebook Parenting: Father Posts Video Responding to Daughter's Post
Bobby Brown on Houston's Death
