Court's Demolition Projected for Week of May 20

Crews will likely "start taking down" the old Hampton District Court building later this month, possibly as early as the week of May 20, according to Town Manager Fred Welch.

Welch said May 20 is "just a projection" and that no demolition date has been selected or scheduled. He said he expects, though, to receive the final asbestos removal report during the week of May 10, which is the final piece slowing the demolition because the building can't be razed until there is no asbestos within.

The building, located at the corner of Lafayette Road and Academy Avenue, has been used for a variety of purposes over its 140-year history, although nothing has called it home since black mold and other issues forced its closure in 2005.

Hampton Public Works Department crews dug around the building Monday in order to disconnect the courthouse's water, according to Welch. The other utilities will be disconnected in the near future.

Representatives from Lane Memorial Library recently took photos of the interior and exterior of the old Hampton District Court to preserve the history of the building before it gets demolished.

The photographic documentation of the structure has yielded some bleak-yet-beautiful depictions of one of Hampton’s oldest buildings and the former home of the old Hampton Grammar School, American Legion and the Hampton Fire Department.

Above are some of the images, several of which are striking in their spartan composition. More images are viewable here on the library’s Flickr account. What do you think of the courthouse and the photos? Tell us in the comments section below.