Era of the Litchfield Courthouse Comes to a Close

Era Of The Litchfield Courthouse Comes To A Close

Built in 1888, the historic Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse on West Street in Litchfield will revert to the ownership of the heirs of the people who originally leased land for the courthouse to Litchfield County in 1803. There is one remaining heir alive who lives in Missouri. The State of Connecticut is vacating the courthouse at the end of the month. On August 25, the courthouse will permanently close and all courthouse operations will officially be transferred to the new Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse on Field Street in Torrington.

David Owens
Aug. 14, 2017

Since before the Revolution, northwestern Connecticut residents have traveled to Litchfield to settle their legal disputes and answer for their crimes.

On Aug. 25, more than 250 years of history and legal tradition will end when the old stone courthouse on the Litchfield green closes for good. All business will move to a new $81 million courthouse in Torrington, which opens Aug. 28.

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With the state's abandonment of the Litchfield courthouse, its ownership will revert to a Missouri man and the estates of his two sisters, the sole heirs of the Litchfield men who in 1803 leased the land on which the courthouse sits to Litchfield County.

That lease said that should the building ever cease to be used as a courthouse, ownership would return to the land owners.

PATRICK RAYCRAFT |

The historic Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse on West Street in Litchfield will revert to the ownership of the heirs of the people who originally leased land for the courthouse to Litchfield County in 1803.

(PATRICK RAYCRAFT | )

"And it is expressly understood by the parties … that the use and improvement of such land … be used and improved for the purpose of a county courthouse and this lease is to be void and the lessors shall be at full liberty to re-enter upon the said land and premises whenever the same or any part thereof shall be applied to any other purpose than that of a county courthouse," the lease reads.

For nearly 40 years, there has been talk of replacing the courthouse and for most of that time, Litchfield citizens favored keeping the courthouse in their community. They were joined in that desire by the county's lawyers, who preferred Litchfield's geographically central location.

And there was also the lease agreement that Litchfield attorney Michael D. Rybak kept bringing up.

"I've warned them for years," Rybak said this week. "I've been on this issue since I was elected to the legislature in 1978. Apparently, they're not upset about turning the building back to the heirs of the original six proprietors who leased the land to the county in 1803 with a courthouse on it."

Rybak said many people, including a former chief justice, questioned whether his story about the lease was real. At least twice, Rybak sent a title search of the courthouse property to state officials. In the meantime, Rybak and others worked to keep the courthouse in Litchfield.

PATRICK RAYCRAFT |

The new Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse on Field Street in Torrington.

The new Litchfield Judicial District Courthouse on Field Street in Torrington. (PATRICK RAYCRAFT | )

Those efforts formally ended in 2014 when state officials authorized construction of the new courthouse six miles away in Torrington, although about $5 million was set aside to renovate the Litchfield courthouse. At the time, the state judicial branch planned to conduct some court business at the Litchfield courthouse to satisfy the lease requirements, Melissa Farley, a spokeswoman for the branch, said.

Three years later, however, the state is walking away from the old courthouse.

Farley said the money set aside to renovate the Litchfield courthouse went to the new Torrington courthouse. And with budget cuts and courthouse closings, judicial officials could not justify keeping Litchfield open.

"I think everybody is nostalgic for that courthouse on the green," Farley said. "It's beautiful and it's historic, but it doesn't meet the modern needs. It's sad, but it's a long time coming to have an efficient, state-of-the-art courthouse."

In April, the state commissioned a title search that confirmed what Rybak had been telling state officials for nearly 40 years. A month later, Rybak got a letter from the state Department of Administrative Services telling him the state would be turning the courthouse over to his clients, George Beckwith, 79, and the estates of his sisters. Neither Beckwith nor his sisters wanted to own a courthouse, Rybak said.

"They would have wanted the state to continue to use it for a judicial function, for some public purpose," Rybak said.

The current Litchfield courthouse, built in 1888, is the fourth to serve Litchfield County and in a way, represents Litchfield's commitment to its important role in the county's legal history. In fact, the town paid to build it and for many years, town offices were in the building.

The first courthouse was built in 1751-52 on the Litchfield green and was replaced in 1795 by a larger structure that looked a lot like the First Congregational Church of Litchfield that sits just across the green. That courthouse burned in 1886 and the county built a replacement that was completed about Aug. 1, 1888. A week later, before it was occupied, the third courthouse was destroyed by fire.

Almost immediately, the town of Litchfield began the process of replacing the courthouse, opting to construct it of fireproof Roxbury granite. It was formally turned over to the county commissioners in March 1890.

The old courthouse has character, inside and out. It's clock tower is a landmark. And inside, there are fireplaces in the main courtroom, each judge's chamber and the clerks' offices. But it is also an anachronism. There is no place for people to discuss sensitive legal issues with their lawyers, there is one public restroom and it is not accessible to people with physical disabilities. And it's small at just under 12,000 square feet.

Rybak said his clients, the descendants of lessors Moses Seymour and Moses Seymour Jr., hope the courthouse is preserved as a historic structure or for some other public use. They do not want to see it developed into shops or another restaurant.

The Greater Litchfield Preservation Trust, which owns two other Litchfield properties, is interested in obtaining the courthouse.

"When we heard the courthouse was going to be turned back to Mike's clients, we had some discussions and we determined this would be a project we ought to look into and seriously consider," said Perley H. Grimes Jr., a Litchfield lawyer who years ago worked with Rybak and others to keep the courthouse in Litchfield.

Trust members have toured the courthouse, met with Administrative Judge John A. Danaher III and have hired an engineer to analyze the building to see if there are any environmental issues and to suggest possible reuses.

"It's an iconic structure located in a very historic town, in a very key location facing North

Street and in the center of the commercial block," Grimes said.

The Litchfield courthouse and the land on which it sits are assessed at $1.12 million, according to town records.

As for the new Litchfield Judicial District courthouse at 50 Field St. in Torrington, it opens for business on Aug. 28. Court functions that are spread out over several buildings, including a leased courthouse in the Bantam section of Litchfield and the juvenile court in Torrington, will gradually relocate to the new building. The state's attorneys' and public defenders' offices will also move from leased space to the new courthouse.

Farley said in light of the state's ongoing budget crisis, no ceremony is planned to mark the opening of the new 173,000-square-foot Torrington courthouse, which has eight courtrooms, two hearing rooms, offices for eight judges and 381 parking spaces.

The new courthouse was built on land once occupied by the headquarters of The Torrington Co., a bearing manufacturer that employed thousands.