Gavel Will Sound Again in Historic Courthouse

To U.S. District Judge John S. Rhoades, there has always been compelling evidence on why the historic former federal courthouse downtown should not be converted to rather mundane office usage.

“It looks like a courthouse, it smells like a courthouse. Says ‘Courthouse’ on the front. Should be a a courthouse,” Rhoades said of the handsome columned building at 325 West F St.

After a 1 1/2-year battle that pitted historic preservation against the government’s ever expanding office space needs, the General Services Administration (GSA) finally agreed with the judge and announced late Tuesday that the 74-year-old structure will again be a courthouse.

Ending the lengthy controversy, the GSA, which oversees the use of federal property, revealed that it has abandoned plans to remodel the former courthouse as an office building for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Instead, the $4.5 million previously approved by Congress for the renovation will be used to restore the now largely gutted building as a courthouse to be used by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

“It’s taken a long time to get here, but obviously, we’re delighted,” Rhoades said. “That building is a grand old lady and we’re looking forward to seeing her restored to her former glory.”

Preserve and Restore

In addition to the federal bench, Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.), several members of the local congressional delegation, the San Diego Bar Assn. and the San Diego Chamber of Commerce joined in the fight to preserve and restore the building, widely praised for its blend of classic revival and Spanish colonial architecture. Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Chambers of Arizona, who has led efforts to preserve or restore nearly two dozen historic buildings across the nation, including other courthouses, also played a key role.

That clout, combined with the fact that the INS’ office needs can be met as easily and economically in the federal building downtown, ultimately persuaded government officials to drop their original congressionally approved plan, a top GSA administrator said.

“For the past 70 years . . . to many people in San Diego, this was the federal court--that was the major point,” said Paul Hamilton, field manager of the GSA’s local office. “But this was not a case where sentiment and tradition won out at the expense of the pocketbook. . . Besides, the INS is not terribly picky about where they go.”

The INS, which planned to use the former courthouse as a regional center, will gain additional office space adjacent to its existing offices on the second floor of the federal building, Hamilton explained.

In a statement released by his local office, Wilson hailed the GSA action as “a wise decision . . . that it would be much easier to find new office space in downtown San Diego than it would be to build new courtrooms.”

Honors Early Judge

Although Congress’ approval of the shift in plans is necessary, Hamilton predicted that the position of the local congressional delegation makes that a foregone conclusion. Assuming that there are no legislative roadblocks, the restoration work could begin in about a year and be completed within 18 months, Hamilton said.

The building--which Congress last year renamed the Jacob Weinberger Federal Building, in honor of San Diego’s first resident U.S. district judge--has not been used as a courthouse since 1976, when the new federal building and courthouse complex on Front Street opened, Rhoades said. Over the next decade, it housed various governmental agencies but, after gradually falling into disrepair, was abandoned about two years ago, he added.

Preliminary interior demolition work begun in anticipation of the structure’s conversion to an office building has already been completed, Hamilton said. While the building’s original courtroom on the second floor and another courtroom on the first floor remain intact, most of the rest of the building’s interior has been gutted.

Federal bankruptcy court officials have estimated that, by 1990, they will need five local bankruptcy courtrooms. The ultimate decision on the extent of the building’s renovation--and whether that many courtrooms will be built--depends on whether the $4.5 million, some of which has already been spent, will be sufficient for the project, or whether the GSA will have to seek additional funds from Congress, Hamilton said.

“We want to make it something we’ll be proud of as a federal courthouse,” Rhoades said. “Now, at least we’re talking about when and how, instead of if.”