The Daviess County Courthouse in Washington is being celebrated today following a $13 million renovation project.

The work restored the courthouse’s historic features, brought the building up to ADA standards, and returned it to its primary role of housing the courts. Other county offices have moved across the street to the Government Center.

Commissioner Nathan Gabhart said the renovation reorganized how space is used inside the building.

“We removed all the judicial offices, so therefore the superior and circuit court, the prosecutor, the probation and the clerk are in the courthouse,” Gabhart explained. “And then we also had to build a third courtroom, because there is a possibility that we’ll have a magistrate someday, or the referee as they currently call it. And then we moved the auditor, the recorder, the treasurer, the assessor and Purdue Extension into the government center.”

Today’s celebration comes nearly a century after the courthouse was first dedicated on September 5, 1929, replacing the 1878 building destroyed by fire. Organizers are also sharing the original dedication program from that historic day.