A new federal courthouse will soon take its place in downtown Greenville. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the year-end spending bill voted on in Congress Friday contains funding to begin and complete construction of a new federal courthouse in Greenville.
The new facility will be called the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Federal Courthouse, in honor of the late governor of South Carolina. It is expected to be a 10-story building built on 2 acres across the street from the Greenville County Courthouse on East North Street.
The old federal courthouse will remain and be used by other agencies.
“Greenville long ago outgrew the small federal building, forcing many agencies to lease space in areas less convenient for the public and making the court’s operations less efficient,” said Graham, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I’m confident the new courthouse will have a positive, long-lasting impact on the community and the citizens of Greenville. I’m very proud of the work that went into this effort and the fact that the new courthouse will soon become reality.”
“Downtown Greenville is becoming a showcase city and a new federal courthouse will only add to that dynamic,” Graham continued. “This has been a high priority for community leaders for years and I’m very pleased it looks like we are now going to get it over the finish line.”
“It has been about 10 years since Congress first recognized the need, so we are glad the funding is finally in place,” said Greenville Mayor Knox White. “We appreciate Senator Graham’s persistence in moving this project forward. He has been a great partner with the city of Greenville.”
The year-end funding bill contains approximately $92 million for site design and construction of the new facility. Congress has already allocated $11 million for preliminary work on the facility and in 2011 bought the 2-acre property where the courthouse will be built. The total cost of the new courthouse is expected to be $103 million.