Twin Falls County begins work on new Judicial Annex, adding to an already historic plot of land

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Over the last few days, crews from the Twin Falls County Parks Department have been working to clear all the old shrubs, bushes and trees that surround the Historic Twin Falls Courthouse.

All this work is because Twin Falls County is looking to make a significant change to their judicial annex.

Back in December, the county announced the start of construction on a new 70-thousand square foot judicial annex.

The current annex, the Theron W. Ward Judicial Building, was constructed in 1967, with an addition added in the late 90′s.

But this isn’t the first time this parcel of land has seen significant change over the course of Twin Falls history.

The current annex, and jail, is the location of the original Twin Falls High School - built in 1912, which later became O’Leary Jr High School.

That building was torn down in the early 1980′s to make room for more official county business, which included the construction of the current jail facility.

“I remember as a police officer back in 1988, they were in the middle of building this new jail that we thought we would never outgrow… we’ve outgrown it,” said T.F. Commissioner Don Hall. “We want to honor the history of the area, not try to compete with the iconic courthouse, but maybe enhance it or try to respect that history.”

Plans are to demolish only the section on the building built in 1998. The original 1967 structure will be added onto, with plans to remodel some of the older courtrooms, after the new building is completed.

At a price tag of 30-million dollar, coming from Federal COVID Funds and a healthy reserve budget, Commissioner Hall says no taxpayer money will be used in the construction.

Construction is expected to begin in late March, and it’s anticipated for completion sometime in 2024.

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