An excavator kicks off the demolition of the old buildings on August 5, starting the new courthouse project. (Katecey Harrell/ Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Demolition began Monday in downtown Tyler at the site of the future new Smith County Courthouse.

Apartments and the old Murphy Baker Law Office on East Erwin Street were the first buildings to come down. The work is expected to last four to five weeks.

County Judge Neal Franklin assured residents most roads will remain open, with only Erwin Street off Spring Avenue closed. The demolition, using excavators and backhoes, will proceed in three quadrants to minimize traffic disruption.

Construction traffic will increase, particularly on Ferguson Street, impacting parking garage access. Updates will be posted on Smith County’s Facebook page and CreateTyler.com, an interactive map of ongoing projects. The Tyler Morning Telegraph will continue to follow this story and publish stories the project at tylerpaper.com/newcourthouse.

The project was approved by voters in November 2022. During a bond election, 54% of voters approved the $179 million bond project, allowing the issuance of $160 million in bonds for the new courthouse and $19 million for an associated parking garage.

Officials broke ground on the parking garage phase of the project in October, with the garage really starting to take shape in the spring. The garage’s targeted completion is anticipated to be late August.

The new courthouse will replace the current 1955 structure that has security and spacing concerns, which were studied and assessed over 23 years of research that included input from residents.

Residents have expressed concerns about the loss of historic buildings due to progress. Franklin acknowledges these concerns and emphasizes the need for expansion to accommodate growth.

“We hate to lose historic buildings,” Franklin said. “I know it sounds cheesy, but we’re going back and building a new historic building that we hope is going to be there well over 100 years.”

The county has hired a photographer to capture images of all historic buildings and notable façade details. These black and white photographs will be displayed in the new courthouse to showcase and preserve the area’s historical significance.

The construction of the new courthouse is scheduled to begin by late October, with the parking garage also set to open around the same time.