Wayne County Courthouse - Waynesboro, TN

I took this photo in 2009. Here was my original writeup...
I was visiting an antique store on the Waynesboro town square when the store owner saw me picking up a county brochure.

"You're not from around here," he said with a smile.

I told him that I like taking pictures of courthouses.

He said, "You've come to the right place...except ours is ugly!"

I pointed to the county tourism brochure and said, "The word they used was 'different'."

"Well, that's the kind way of saying it."

From him, I learned the old courthouse had burned down due to an arsonist. Plans were drawn for the replacement courthouse to be built at a shopping center, hence the shopping center look to the building. Then, I guess some people got sentimental and wanted the new courthouse in the center of the square, but it was too late to change the design. Therefore, as the store owner put it, it was a double mistake.

Update in 2020. This courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Here are the notes from the Tennessee Historical Commission:

Judged worthy of preserving, the Wayne County Courthouse was officially placed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 29th.

Designed by the Nashville architectural firm of Yearwood and Johnson and completed in 1975, the Wayne County Courthouse exemplifies the character defining features of Brutalism design.

The large-scale angular building is notable for the exposed “raw” concrete/masonry exterior, large areas of formed concrete and limited fenestration. The combination of voids and solids of the design give the building a unique appearance in Waynesboro.

All these features of Brutalism are extant in the building and part of the original design. Features of Brutalism inside that remain are the exposed concrete and marble with no embellishments.

A comparison of the building with the few Brutalist designs in the state reveals that the Wayne County Courthouse is unique in design due to the relationship of the solid rectangles, sloping rooflines, and tall clock tower.

The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. It is part of a nationwide program that coordinates and supports efforts to identify, evaluate and protect historic resources. The SHPO administers the program in Tennessee.

The full nomination can be seen at www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/environment/historic-commission...