Courthouse is growing

The Charles County courthouse is well under construction in La Plata. The construction should last about 2 years.

The project entails the construction of a two-story building with a gross square footage of 75,600. The garage and basement support areas account for 28,950 square feet, while the finished basement, first floor, and second floor combined are 46,650 square feet.

The building will feature four District courtrooms (two on each floor), District Clerk, Court Commissioner, and Judges' Chambers (on the second floor), which accounts for 30,106 net square feet for State-operated services.

For the County, the building will house the Register of Wills and Land Records, both on the first floor, and will occupy 9,594 square feet. The County space is fully separated from the State's, and has its own entrance facing the existing glass lobby entrance of the existing building.

The building will also host a limited amount of underground parking for courthouse officials. The facility will be located in the area that currently serves as the courthouse's main parking lot. The exterior design of the building is fashioned after the Colonial Revival style of existing courthouses with all masonry construction, hipped shingled roofs, and a monumental lobby entrance. The interior of the building will feature a small, two-story lobby with two elevators and open stairs.