A Community’s Inspiration

Jackson County Judicial Center

Well-designed judicial centers do more than simply help facilitate justice, they serve as a point of community pride and inspiration by lifting the aesthetic expectations of neighboring businesses and residences. JRA’s years of experience in creating some of the most celebrated courthouse designs in Kentucky has reinforced that understanding as institutional knowledge among our team members. So when Jackson County recognized the time had come to invest in a new courthouse, we were asked to help apply that concept in downtown McKee, Kentucky.

The selected site, a half-acre plot, challenged our design team to create a monumental building without overpowering the existing adjacent one and two story structures. The new Judicial Center embodies some elements of architectural styles seen in other downtown buildings to maintain continuity while simultaneously exploring distinct designs to help inspire future architectural explorations in the area.

With the close proximity of so many disparate parts - the circuit court clerk offices, the district courtroom and associated support spaces, the circuit courtroom, judge chambers, hearing rooms and others - housed within the building, careful planning was required. The layout of the three-story building was created to achieve functional efficiency throughout the space as circulation is paramount to the success of any judicial center. Today the Jackson County Judicial Center stands as a distinct community landmark and a reflection of the values of our country’s judicial system.