Renfrew County Courthouse

Heritage property in Ontario, Canada

Renfrew County Courthouse

Alternative names| Pembroke Courthouse
General information
Architectural style| Neoclassical
Location| Pembroke, Ontario, Canada
Address| 297 Pembroke Street East
Coordinates| 45°49′38.08″N 77°6′23.31″W﻿ / ﻿45.8272444°N 77.1064750°W﻿ / 45.8272444; -77.1064750
Current tenants| Attorney General of Ontario
Construction started| 1862
Completed| 1866
Inaugurated| 1867
Renovated| 2007
Renovation cost| $23 million CAD
Owner| Ontario Realty Corporation
Technical details
Floor area| 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Henry Horsey
Renovating team
Renovating firm| NORR Limited Architects and Engineers
Awards and prizes| Certificate of Merit
Office Building of the Year
People's Choice
Design Excellence

The Renfrew County Courthouse is a designated heritage property and operational courthouse in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada.

## Original building

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The courthouse in 1906

The neoclassical complex includes three buildings: the courthouse itself, a registry office and a small jail. The courthouse was built from 1862 to 1866, the registry office from 1862 to 1868, and the jail from 1864 to 1866.[1] As the Confederation of Canada occurred in 1867, the building is referred to as "Confederation-era". The original courthouse was designed by Henry Horsey.[2]

The registry office was built to the fire-prevention standards of the then-Chief Architect of Canada, Kivas Tully, who had an "obsession" with safety.[2]

The sandstone used in the original construction was quarried at nearby Morrison Island.[1]

The County Atlas of 1881 describes the courthouse as "one of the finest in Canada, combining the features of chaste beauty with simple elegance of construction in a degree possessed by few if any others in the country."[1] The exterior of the registry was re-bricked in the 1980s, and the heritage value suffered.[1]

## Designation

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The complex is protected under the Cultural Heritage Protocol Agreement the Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Recreation and the Management Board Secretariat (Ontario Realty Corporation).[3] It has not, however, been municipally designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

## 2005 expansion

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From 2005 to 2007, the building underwent significant heritage restoration. More than half of the original jail has been incorporated into the new facility.[1] The renovation was led by NORR Limited Architects and Engineers.[4]

The new construction used limestone from Guelph, Ontario. It added 48,276 square feet (4,485.0 m2) to the 18,729 of the preserved historic buildings.[1]

## Awards

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* In 2006, the American Academy of Architects' Academy of Architecture for Justice awarded the courthouse a Certificate of Merit.[1]
* In 2009, the courthouse was named "The Office Building of the Year" by the Building Owners and Managers Association of Ottawa.[5] The same association certified the courthouse as meeting its Building Environmental Standards for the 2008-09 fiscal year.
* The Ontario Association of Architecture awarded the courthouse its "People's Choice" and "Design Excellence" awards in 2009.[5]

## Contemporary use

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The renovated courthouse currently houses both a Superior Court of Justice and an Ontario Court of Justice, using its six courtrooms. It also has "two jury deliberation rooms, two settlement rooms, a victim/witness program office, Crown attorney offices and a secure vehicle drop-off point for in-custody individuals."[5]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g Young, Pamela (2008). The Renfrew County Courthouse. Ministry of the Attorney General.
2. ^ a b Chodikoff, Ian (November 2007). "And Justice For All". Canadian Architect. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
3. ^ Ontario Heritage Properties Database. "Pembroke Jail MBS-ORC". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
4. ^ Dixon, Anthony. "Renfrew County Courthouse nominated for architecture award". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
5. ^ a b c Chase, Sean (2009-07-18). "Pembroke Courthouse wins two major awards". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 2009-07-20.

## External links

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* Celebration at award-winning Pembroke Courthouse
* The Renfrew County Courthouse, winner of the 2009 OAA People's Choice Award
* Renfrew County Courthouse Rejuvenation Project—Ontario Realty Corporation