A Close Call: 1955-1961, The Rutherford County Courthouse
By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Courthouse was once again considered past its prime. It was deemed too small and out of date to continue to serve the functions it was designed for. After coming close to being demolished, several solutions to update the Courthouse were suggested. First, in 1955, the building underwent internal renovations. From 1959-1961, the most obvious change occurred; wings were added to the north and south side of the structure. Look at the picture. Notice that the color of the bricks on the end of the building are different then the rest of the structure. [1]
[1] Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, "One of Tennessee's Six Remaining Antebellum Courthouses. Rutherford County Courthouse," (Murfreesboro, TN: circa 2000).