A Brief History
The original Sullivan County Courthouse, a wooden structure, was destroyed
on January 13, 1844 in a fire. The blaze started, according to early accounts,
when a fire at the neighboring Giles Benedict residence spread to the
wooden courthouse. The new stone structure, built by Orange County resident
Samuel Bull, was completed in November 1845 at a cost of $6,790, well
below an estimated $8,000 cost. It was built in the federal style because
it was thought that Greek revival architecture was losing favor among
American buildings. The structure was later replaced by the current courthouse
in 1909 because the cost of enlarging and repairing it would have been
greater than building an entirely new structure. William J. Beardsley
of Poughkeepsie was the architect for the new 1909 Ohio sandstone building,
which was built for $142,800 by Campbell and Dempsey of Kingston. The
courthouse is still housed on its original site on Broadway and over the
years sustained several renovations: addition of two front extensions,
lowering ceilings, and in 1979, converting the building from county office
building to a courthouse by expanding the facility to accommodate the
ever-increasing court calendars.
On July 17, 1997, the Sullivan County Board of Legislators passed Resolution No. 263-97 --WHEREAS, there has been among us a man who declared many times: that the delivery of justice is 'the noblest of human aspirations;' that it is always the 'pinnacle of pinnacles;' that 'the Courts belong to the people' and, what is more he did something about it, and... "WHEREAS, Judge Cooke has set an example as a lawyer, a jurist and a human being for future generations as a devoted husband and father and a proud citizen of the County of Sullivan, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Sullivan County Courthouse is hereby renamed and rededicated in honor of Chief Judge Lawrence H. Cooke and shall hereafter be known as "The Lawrence H. Cooke Sullivan County Courthouse."
Related
External Link:
"A
day of ecstasy and triumph" for Judge Cooke, The River Reporter,
09-25-1997