Hampton courthouse may face wrecking ball, lawyer says

A Hampton lawyer says if no one buys the town's landmark courthouse, it will have to be torn down.

The building is vacant, with court services being moved into the new Saint John Law Courts building next month, and has been declared surplus by the provincial government.

It will soon be put up for sale, but the 140-year-old structure needs extensive renovations, says David Lutz, who bought and renovated the old post office across the road, on Main Street.

"People say you know, 'Why don't you buy it?' And fortunately, I'm old enough to not do anything that foolish," he said.

Lutz calls the courthouse a classic 19th century building, with all the beauty — and all the problems.

'The province would be extremely fortunate if they could get a dollar for it and a contract with the buyer to restore it to a use that would pay taxes to the town on it.' —David Lutz, Hampton lawyer

He doesn't expect anyone will come forward with the money to bring it into the 21st century.

"Air conditioning, heat pumps … I think it would be the largest building undertaken in the history of Hampton, if not Kings County."

The building also lacks wheelchair access and the estimated heating cost of between $25,000 and $30,000 a year is another problem.

An ad-hoc committee had been tasked with finding a way to preserve and redesign the courthouse, but nothing came out of those discussions.

Earlier this year, Hampton Mayor Ken Chorley said the town wasn't in a position to take on the building. But he had hoped to see another government department take it over.

The provincial government is currently assessing the value of the old building and once officials decide on a price, it will be put up for sale.

"The province would be extremely fortunate if they could get a dollar for it and a contract with the buyer to restore it to a use that would pay taxes to the town on it," said Lutz.

"If they can't sell it, they got to take it down."

The Saint John Law Courts building is scheduled to reopen on June 24 after undergoing months of repairs due to a ruptured water pipe.