Former Surrey Downs courthouse demolished
Published 1:04 pm Friday, October 16, 2015
Residents seeking marriage licenses, passports, name changes and more will officially no longer be able to get those services at the Surrey Downs Courthouse, which has been torn down for a new park and the light rail expansion.
Demolition of the old Surrey Downs courthouse began on Oct. 14. It is the first step in readying the area for a new park and the planned Sound Transit East Link rail service.
Crews are tearing down 21,773-square feet of buildings and approximately 47,951 square feet of asphalt and concrete paving. Demolition is planned to continue through early December.
King County provided district court services at the location under an agreement with the city. Court operations and probation services moved in June to the Bellefields Building, a renovated leased building at Bellefield Office Park at 114th Avenue Southeast.
Even after the gates were closed on the old courthouse, construction workers reported seeing people showing up looking for license renewals and other services.
Before the its time as a courthouse, the building served as Surrey Downs Elementary school from 1962 through 1981.
Due to the age of the building and the materials used at the time of its construction, it would have required about $2.1 million in improvements to address code and life-safety issues to be deemed useable in any future plans.
The project was a part of the Surrey Downs Master Plan approved in April 2014. The planned Surrey Downs Park will consist of a play meadow, a sport court, two playgrounds, a woodland maze and more.
Construction on the park will begin in spring 2016.
