Morris County Breaks Ground on Eight-Story Criminal Courthouse Addition in Morristown

MORRISTOWN — Morris County is beginning construction on a long-planned expansion of its courthouse campus in Morristown, a project county officials say is intended to bring criminal court facilities up to current New Jersey Judiciary standards for security, design, and space.

The project is expected to take about 24 months and will add an eight-story criminal courthouse facility on an open-air parking lot and part of an adjacent pocket park along Schuyler Place, according to the county. The new building is planned to include eight new courtrooms, jury assembly areas, and judge chambers, along with a new main entrance to the courthouse complex and the County Administration and Records Building at the corner of Washington Street and Schuyler Place.

County officials emphasized that the historic Morris County Courthouse facing Washington Street will not be demolished and is not the construction site for the new building. The historic courthouse is expected to remain in use and preserved, and it recently underwent refurbishing and roof replacements, county officials said. The county has also said the project is designed to accommodate existing Superior Court judges, staff, and services, rather than expand operations.

Updated Courthouse Exterior Design

What is being built, and where

Plans presented publicly by the county describe a new criminal courthouse structure adjacent to the existing Administration and Records Building on Schuyler Place, intended to address what officials have described as outdated conditions in the current complex. In 2023, the county described the project as an approximately 119,000-square-foot facility with eight courtrooms, a jury assembly room, meeting rooms, security areas, and a secured, multi-story glass entrance foyer.

County materials from 2022 similarly describe a courthouse “annex” with a gross floor area of roughly 117,000 square feet and a construction timeline of about 24 months.

Why the county says the project is needed

Morris County is framing the project as part of a statewide reality: counties are responsible for providing adequate facilities for Superior Court operations. The county has said it commissioned a space needs and facilities assessment in 2017, completed in 2018, that identified shortfalls and documented outdated conditions in the existing courthouse complex.

In earlier public updates, county officials described the existing courthouse campus as having deficiencies related to security, accessibility for people with disabilities, and modern safety systems. In 2023, the county said the courthouse complex includes the historic courthouse originally constructed in 1827 and later expanded through multiple eras, but that significant portions of court operations were no longer suitable to remain in that setting under current standards.

A long-running project with multiple redesigns

The courthouse expansion has been discussed publicly for years. In 2019, the county announced it awarded a $3.9 million design contract to AECOM for a secure criminal court facility attached to the Administration and Records Building, with the building proposed for the county parking lot off Schuyler Place. The county said it reduced the scope and split the work into phases as part of an effort to manage costs, and at that time described an estimated $106 million overall project that it said had been reduced for an initial construction phase.

By 2023, the county reported the project had been refined from a pre-pandemic concept and presented an updated exterior design while keeping the core program elements, including eight courtrooms and expanded security and public space.

What residents and downtown visitors can expect during construction

The county said it is working to minimize disruption along Schuyler Place, but acknowledged that inconveniences are expected in a dense downtown area that includes businesses, residences, and public parking.

Key changes outlined by the county include:

• Schuyler Place lane reductions and parking changes: The street will be narrowed to a 20-foot travel width, and all but two street parking spaces will be removed during construction, according to the county.

• Replacement parking nearby: Morris County and the Morristown Parking Authority have reallocated spaces on the Schuyler Place level of the Ann-Bank Garage (30 Schuyler Place), marked with a 2-hour time limit, the county said.

• Loading and unloading: The county said temporary loading and unloading for businesses and residential properties will still be permitted on Schuyler Place.

• Intermittent closures: The county said there may be days when Schuyler Place must be closed intermittently to vehicle traffic, with advance notice to those affected and traffic direction by Morristown police on those days.

• Work hours: Construction is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, with no evening work anticipated and no work planned on weekends or major holidays, according to the county.

• Construction worker parking: The county said workers will be required to park at Headquarters Plaza to preserve parking availability in the immediate construction area for residents, shoppers, and local employees.

Pocket park access and the promised restoration

The pocket park facing Washington Street will be inaccessible during construction, according to the county. County officials said more than 60 percent of that space is expected to be restored as a greenway once the project is completed.

What comes next

County officials have characterized the project as a replacement for older spaces and systems attached to the existing courthouse complex between Court Street and Western Avenue, intending to meet current courtroom security and design standards while preserving the historic courthouse footprint.

Construction timelines can shift due to permitting, supply chains, weather, and field conditions. The county has said it will provide advance notice about intermittent street closures and other time-sensitive disruptions affecting Schuyler Place.

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