The Gilmer County Courthouse, built as the Hyatt Hotel (no relation to the chain), was razed on Jan. 7, 2008. (Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation)

The people have spoken, and a brick courthouse in northern Georgia fell this week.

Built in 1898 as the Hyatt Hotel, the neoclassical building in Ellijay, Ga., was converted to the Gilmer County Courthouse in 1934. The county fire marshall condemned the ailing in 2003, and in November 2006, voters in the county of 28,000 passed a referendum to raze the old courthouse and build a new one. According to a state law passed in 1990, a referendum is required before any historic county courthouses may be demolished.

"Counties that have lost their historic courthouses are always sorry about it afterwards," says Jack Pyburn, FAIA, director of Atlanta-based Lord, Aeck & Sargent's Historic Preservation Studio. "Gilmer County's historic courthouse was unique as Georgia's only courthouse not originally built for that purpose. Fortunately, the overwhelming number of counties in Georgia consider their historic courthouses to be a significant definer of their community's identity, past, present and future."

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, which named the courthouse to its 2007 list of Places in Peril, is working with its partners to save the state's other historic courthouses. Although Georgia is the twentieth largest state, it is second in number of courthouses-exceeded only by Texas. One hundred thirty-two historic Georgia courthouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings range from Greek revival to International Style, illustrating nearly 170 years of Georgia history.

Georgia's state historic preservation office has produced or co-sponsored several publications and studies promoting the preservation and rehabilitation of Georgia's historic courthouses, including The Georgia Courthouse Manual and Preserving Georgia's Historic Courthouses, both of which are available here >> http://hpd.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaynavigation.asp?TopCategory=21

Gilmer County plans to build a new courthouse this year.

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