On Monday, March 23, the historic courthouse in Downtown Rome became engulfed in flames and was significantly damaged. It is estimated that the fire started around 2:20 p.m. and was not put out until after 5:30 p.m.
The courthouse was built in 1892-1893 and was a central part of the Downtown Rome skyline, and was used as a courthouse, and the tag and tax commissioner’s office recently. The building included Romanesque Revival architecture.
According to the superior court of Floyd County, the courthouse is to be closed and a judicial emergency to be declared, recognizing that normal functioning is impossible and that responsibilities surrounding activity in the courthouse should be waived until Thursday, March 26. All activity such as property taxes payments may resume online that Thursday for citizens. Per the Floyd County Commission, “The Floyd County Commission has approved an emergency allocation of $100,000 to support the temporary relocation of operations formerly housed in the Historic Floyd County Courthouse following the fire that destroyed the building on Monday.”
“We got a notification at the 911 center that there was a fire at the historic courthouse, so we went outside and saw a little bit of smoke coming out of it, and then about 10-15 minutes later it became fully engulfed, with fire coming out of all of the floors,” Jeff Richardson from the District Attorney’s Office said.
Richardson was one of the witnesses who gathered around the courthouse and the surrounding areas as the fire continued to rage. As the fire continued to expand and intensify, worry quickly mounted regarding entrapments and the evacuation process, but thankfully, there was only good news to relay.
“They were pretty quick to get all of the people out and into the parking lot,” Richardson said. “The fire department got here within a few minutes; they were pretty quick.”
The shock and sadness of losing the courthouse is difficult to grapple with for the community and the widespread disruptions, such as traffic, across Rome certainly do not help.
“They probably have all of the roads blocked for a while so that they can keep water on the buildings so that the fires do not jump across, to keep it from spreading anywhere. This is probably going to affect traffic down here for the rest of the evening,” Richardson said.
Speaking to the shock and sadness, many long-time citizens of Rome had formed a personal attachment with the building, as if it were a member of the community itself, since it had stood tall over the city for over a century. The pure destruction many witnessed was difficult.
“I am a life-long Roman and I saw this on Facebook and it just broke my heart,” Barbara, a local bystander, said. “It is so sad, the roof is gone. If you think about all of the history that is in that building, all that has transpired. How important it is to Rome and our community, it is heartbreaking. Just to have a moment of silence and to cry.”