Brand-new $111M Elkhart County Courthouse officially opens Friday

GOSHEN, Ind.--- Elkhart County’s new courthouse officially opened Friday with a dedication ceremony and ribbon-cutting. The state-of-the-art facility broke ground nearly four years ago, and upon completion, the total investment is calculated at about $111 million.

The project was behind schedule and over budget, but now that it's finished, the courthouse, located at 1905 Reliance Road in Goshen, will serve the community for generations to come.

Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush was a keynote speaker on Friday and also spoke one-on-one with ABC57's Annie Kate.

"I think it's about the best in Indiana right now," she said of the courthouse. "You've got over 44,000 cases pending last year, that's a lot of people from Elkhart coming to courts to be able to move on with their lives."

Now, all those cases will go through this four-floor, 173,000 square foot building, equipped with 14 courtrooms.

"This building is going to stand here in Elkhart County for decades to come, maybe even centuries," said State Rep. Tim Wesco, R-Osceola.

Gone are the days of two courthouses in two cities.

"This project has been in discussion for decades," Wesco said. "There's always been a lot of confusion amongst the public about which courthouse, whether the one in Goshen or the one in Elkhart. Also, the Elkhart courthouse has had significant issues for some time."

"There's always confusion, whether it's jury duty or being called to court, 'What courthouse do I go to?" said Brad Rogers.

Rogers, Elkhart County's Commission President, explained what's happening to the old courthouses.

"The historic Goshen courthouse will be repurposed with county offices," Rogers said. "We've had need of additional office space, so this will allow us to move into that, including the county commissioners. Even our commissioner and council meeting room will be in the old circuit court."

The courthouse in Elkhart is getting torn down, Rogers said, and the City of Elkhart will acquire that property for redevelopment.

"To have one location is very important, not only for efficiencies, but for security and best practices," Rogers said.

COVID and construction costs ramped up the price, about $96 million for the building but a $111 million total investment. Additionally, its planned summer opening was postponed due to building delays.

Now that it's finally open, Judge David Bonfiglio is eager to get cases moving.

"My very first hearing scheduled in this building is an adoption, and I have several marriages planned for those first days," Bonfiglio said.