ELKHART, Ind. -- The Elkhart County Council authorized the transfer of the County Courthouse ownership from Elkhart County to the City of Elkhart last Friday. As part of the transfer deal, the county agreed to contribute $1 million for the demolition of the existing structure.

In a review of the old courthouse, Elkhart County Commissioners determined the facility to be “obsolete and not viable for habitation,” resulting in the construction of the new courthouse in Goshen.

“The city’s Downtown Master Plan includes multiple strategies aimed at re-establishing density within the Second and Third Street corridors, and this property will serve [as] a strategic anchor to achieving these outcomes,” Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson said.

“It provides an entire city block for private development, which is a rare opportunity within a downtown area.”

The city will assume ownership 30 days after the county vacates the building, and demolition will be schedule after that.