Worcester County Courthouse

Earlier this week I wrote about the risks that face the Middlesex Superior Courthouse here in Lowell after the new Judicial Center opens in 2015. Much of the concern about the fate of the Lowell courthouse is due to a like situation in Worcester. In that city, all court functions moved from the 112-year old Worcester County Courthouse into a new judicial center in 2007. At the same time, the Worcester Registry of Deeds moved into leased space at the former Worcester Galleria Mall. The county courthouse remained vacant since then; and on December 30, 2010, the Division of Capital Asset Management, the state agency responsible for all state buildings, had an auction scheduled to sell the structure. When only one bidder came forward to participate in the auction, DCAM canceled it. Now the future use and even the future survival of the Worcester County Courthouse are in doubt. Hopefully, the same thing doesn't happen here in Lowell.