Spratt secures $150,000 for Chesterfield Courthouse restoration

U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., has secured $150,000 for the restoration of the Chesterfield County Courthouse, which will serve as a visitors and performing arts center. The funding was part of the 2010 Interior Department appropriations bill the House passed Thursday, according to a press release from Spratt’s office.

Spratt cautioned the Interior appropriations bill must still pass the Senate and proceed through a conference between the House and Senate.

Chesterfield and the Greater Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce have formed a committee of interested residents to develop plans for the restoration of the building and raising the necessary funds

“Restoring a historic courthouse to serve as a visitors center and performing arts center is an ambitious project for a community of any size,” Spratt said in the release, “but the magnitude of this project is compounded by the fact that Chesterfield is the smallest county seat in South Carolina. I was pleased to lend a hand by securing funds to help with this project.”

Spratt said that the committee has carefully studied the building and the scope of the project. The 1884 Courthouse Heritage Center will include the Chesterfield Visitor’s Center on the first floor and the Chesterfield Performing Arts Center on the second. The committee recommended, and town council agreed, to employ the services of an architect to develop the plans for the project.

“The restoration will boost tourism and economic development,” Spratt said. “It’s a key component of the town’s long term development plan.”

When completed, the 1884 Courthouse Heritage Center will provide the focal point for Chesterfield’s tourism efforts. Located a block north of S.C. 9, a primary route to Myrtle Beach, the center will provide many travelers with information about the town, county and region.

The Old Chesterfield County Courthouse was constructed in 1884 as a replacement for the Courthouse burned during Sherman’s March through the Carolinas in the Civil War. The previous building, designed by Robert Mills, stood at the same location. The courthouse, with its imposing cupola, dominates the streetscape of Chesterfield’s downtown area. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and served as the county’s courthouse until 1978 when a new facility was completed.

Because the building is so dominant in the context of Chesterfield and offers prime space in the heart of the community, the town of Chesterfield began negotiations with Chesterfield County to acquire the local landmark. The building’s image adorns welcome signs, chamber letterhead and street name signs.

Also, the town’s need for “community space” was affected by the 2003 fire, which destroyed the Chesterfield Community Center. The community center, a white stone Work Project Administration constructed building, was formerly the Chesterfield Public School Gymnatorium.

In June 2005, the town purchased the Old Courthouse property from Chesterfield County for $50,000. The town immediately began cleaning the building and grounds and studying future usage of the facility. The Chesterfield Visitor’s Center was located in the basement of the U.S. Post Office with narrow outdoor stairs providing its only access. It was decided to relocate the visitor’s center to the more spacious and much more easily accessible Old Courthouse.

Today, the Chesterfield Visitor’s Center in the 1884 Courthouse is home to the Greater Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce Office, the Historical Society of Chesterfield County Museum, the Chesterfield Genealogical Research Library, the Chesterfield Visual Arts Alliance Gallery, a gift shop, and meeting room. The visitor’s center moved into the first floor of the building “as is” with the restoration of the floor still very much needed.

The Chesterfield Arts Commission has again become active following the fire at the community center. The loss of a venue for performances has led to the creative usage of spaces such as holding the viewing of movies outdoors on the lawn of the Chesterfield County Library and holding locally written and produced productions in a “stage-less” log community building. The lack of space for the performing arts led to the idea to transform the second floor courtroom of the Old Courthouse into a performing arts center.