Justice Court leaves historical building for new center

Judge Jos Luis Castillo Jr. laid out stacks of paper Monday morning as he prepared for trial in his new nest.

A short time later at 9:15 a.m., Courtroom 404 would be host to the first-ever jury trial in the new Consolidated Justice Courthouse at the Pima County Public Service Center, 240 N. Stone Ave. a 272,000-square-foot county complex.

The county vacated the historical courthouse on North Church Avenue with its iconic pink exterior and dome structure, which officials said could not support todays capacity and functions, as it was designed in the 1920s to support the needs of that time.

Castillos courtroom was mostly empty on the first day at the new building, with chairs that have never been sat on and tables that have never been used. He put a familiar touch by setting up pictures of his three children on the judges bench.

The aesthetics are decidedly more modern than those of the old courthouse and his former Courtroom 8, otherwise known as the Dillinger courtroom as the site of the trial of John Dillinger and his gang in January 1934.

I feel nostalgic, but Ill adjust, Castillo said.

The new building is seven stories tall and has two basement levels. It houses courtrooms on four floors to handle the approximately 140,000 cases filed at the Justice Court in a year, with more than 500,000 people passing through the security checkpoint.

I love the old courthouse, but everything was so cramped in there, said Doug Kooi, the Consolidated Justice Court administrator.

The Public Service Center, soon to be home also to the countys treasurer, constable, Assessors Office and Recorders Office, is an improvement in every sense, Kool said.

In the old building, members of the jury and the public often only had standing room only and sometimes had to sit on the floor while waiting, he said. The only jury deliberation room was also used as a conference room, and four restrooms were shared by hundreds of people each day.

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Justice Court leaves historical building for new center