SHOSHONE, Idaho — A year-long renovation process comes to an end and County services move back into the Lincoln County Courthouse in Shoshone. The building, originally built in 1904 for $17,000, received a much-needed renovation to secure its structural integrity, while also modernizing the facility to keep it functioning for another 100 years.
- The courthouse was closed for one year, and all county services were relocated to rented buildings during the remodel.
- After two separate bonds failed, the remodel was secured through grants and savings.
- The courthouse now has an ADA-compliant courtroom, a remodeled main courtroom, and new offices. The roof and floors have been structurally secured, the building wired with fiber communication cable, and many more improvements.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"We really love this building, it's full of history. It really is the showpiece in the middle of Shoshone,” Lincoln County Commissioner Rebecca Wood told me. Now, there's no more bats in the attic, no more mold in the basement.
“The building is completely back up to great structure,” Wood said. “We redid the roof, the beams, seismic issues. We took out all the mold and asbestos, we redid the entire basement, which is kind of the showpiece, and we kept all the historical features too.”
Wood showed off the improvements during Monday night's open house for the historic courthouse.
In addition to structurally securing the roof and floors, the basement (once jail cells and other unused spaces) has been transformed into an ADA-accessible courtroom that also serves as a county hearing room. The bathrooms on each level have also been remodeled, and the courtroom and jury room are now updated.
The county was able to pay for renovations through COVID-era grants and savings, costing the taxpayers nothing.
“We just spent $3.5 million to save it and make it usable for another hundred years, and it's well worth it. It's a beautiful building,” Wood said.
Don Braun came for the open house to have a look around. "I thought they did a real nice job on the upstairs part, that used to be pretty bad,” Braun said. “And the basement was kind of, like she said, a dungeon down there and really looks nice now. It's all updated and looks good.”
County Commissioner Nathan Schutte donated an alarming amount of time restoring the ancient wood banister. “I would say it would probably took us three months altogether,” Schutte told me. "The banister had been painted over for decades, and removing the paint from all the fine details... At times... Required using a dental pick."
"Just it's kind of pride to rebuild something that's been here so long,” Schutte said. “The iconic Lincoln County Courthouse. In every picture you see, you know exactly where it is.”
"I just think the building means everything to the community. They really wanted to save and now she’s here for everybody,” Wood said.
