The End of the Beginning

On Monday, April 10th, Weigand workers attached the final beams of the Steuben County Judicial Center’s frame, marking a new progress milestone for the project. When finished in 2024, the new facility will be over 56,000 square feet, making it the first new judicial system construction in over 150 years. The current Steuben County Annex, which was first built in 1867, has become increasingly outdated and unable to meet new municipal building accessibility requirements. After a period of putting together a plan that went between updating the Annex or creating an entirely new facility, community officials decided to move forward with starting from scratch with a new judicial center. 

Bringing Officials Together

The 3 Story + Partial Basement structure brings several amenities and more space: 

• 3 Courtrooms in the upper levels  
• Offices 
• Support Spaces 
• Storage Areas 
• Holding Cells 
• Mechanical Spaces 

With a significant increase in square footage, Steuben County’s justice system will be able to bring most of its public offices into one single building. All but the Sheriff’s Department will transfer to the new building, including some additional offices like the Clerk of Courts, Probation Department, and the Steuben County Prosecuting Attorney’s office. 

Project Dedication

Despite the challenges that come with construction during the winter months, our team has completed 210 consistent days of project operations, putting us one-third of the way through the schedule. Steel erection was completed in just 2.5 weeks, paving the way for preparations on the first-floor slab deck like stairs, decking, detailing, and welding.  

Starting from Rock Bottom 

The success of completing the steel topping would not have been possible without the expert work of Weigand’s concrete crew, however. Beginning the job in the basement, crews spent weeks safely excavating soil and creating the bottom level of the structure. This part of the project was finalized with a well-executed, 9,700 square foot concrete slab pour. From here, crews began work setting the foundation for the building’s first floor. These individual milestones created a base for pillars and steel framing to go up, allowing us to see the “skeleton” of the facility for the first time! 

Homegrown Investment 

Students from Hendry Park Elementary School attended the topping out ceremony, and many locals have voiced in favor of this project. There was debate initially on whether the original judicial building should be a renovation project instead of an entirely new structure, but once a decision had been made, the community rallied behind the conclusion and saw this construction as an important next step for the region. The Steuben County Government, RQAW Architecture, and the City of Angola have also demonstrated their show of support, partnering with Weigand in this venture. However, this is not just a municipal project for the county. It’s also an opportunity for Weigand staff to invest directly in the places they call home. Five employees from our firm reside in Steuben, including the Project Manager and the Superintendent assigned to the job.