Old Covington Courthouse to Go Up For Auction
On a location which was always considered the town center of Covington, there have been 3 courthouse buildings which have stood since 1837 when the St. Tammany Parish Police Jury bought 4 lots for the purpose of “planting” the Covington courthouse. The original courthouse was demolished in 1884, and in 1886, a new courthouse was built which stood until 1957. Then, the courthouse that now stands at the location was completed in 1959. This courthouse is being considered city surplus and will be auctioned to the highest bidder towards the beginning of 2019.
The current building houses the 911 center for St. Tammany Parish. It has been rented out for this purpose for approximately 10 years. A new 911 facility is being construction north of Lacombe and will be a 16,000 square foot
building once it is completed.
Public preference in Covington has been that the current courthouse stay in the purvue of the city and be converted to a museum or public park space, however, with the budget shortfall coming up for the next fiscal year, an auction will be necessary. To that end, the Covington City Council appointed a nine-member panel to do a study as to the uses for the building.
The building is 31,000 square feet and it also has a plaza in the front which is home to ancient oak trees, which are part of the charm of many public places on the Northshore. It is located at the corner of Boston and New Hampshire Streets and is currently owned by the St. Tammany Parish government.
