A historic landmark goes down

A Jefferson County Courthouse that has been around since 1938 was demolished Tuesday.

The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places back in the 1980s.

However, in 2007 a new courthouse was built, since then a slew of different owners have maintained the old courthouse.

In a statement made by Preservation Idaho said, “We are shocked to hear that the historic Jefferson County Courthouse in Rigby will be demolished today.”

“Demolition of this historic building represents a tremendous waste of history, a waste of a viable building, and the unnecessary material waste that will go into a landfill.”

Preservation Idaho is a member funded non-profit organization founded in 1972.

Realtor Mark H. Olsen said the demolition was bittersweet.

“Hard to see a building that’s been in our community go down, it’s been a landmark for a lot of years. But to repair it would cost more than it’s worth,” Olsen said.