Joanne Williams
Editor

(Photo by Joanne Williams/TCJ: Just a few more feet and the roof can be completed on the long-awaited Courthouse elevator.)

As the January skies rained and pavement iced, work continued on the long-awaited elevator at the downtown Charlotte Courthouse.

A place of meeting, commerce, events and the home of the Eaton County Museum, the building is well used and packed with offices and historic items on three floors. The long and wide staircases have been a challenge, though.

That will change this spring, maybe by mid-March, those in the know say, as the equipment for a long-wished elevator is on site, and construction continues inside and out. 

A December 12, 2025, Facebook post heralded the elevator structure’s arrival.

Project “Lift The Square” began about three years ago, with hopes for a grand opening in 2024. Optimistic, the plans were pushed to 2025. Now, the project is practically on target.

Anyone involved in a large building effort knows that target dates are not always end dates.

The effort, long dreamed of, planned, was spirited by a generous $300,000 donation from Richard Trumley, in honor of his wife, Beverly, according to the Courthouse Square Association. The current donation level is more than $447,000, close to the $500,000 project goal.

Former Eaton County Museum Manager Julie Kimmer said this has truly been a community effort, with donations from more than 125 individuals and organizations. She has kept track of the progress, each day, along with Museum Board of Directors member Rod Weaver and others. 

The building, located at 100 W. Lawrence Ave., was the county courthouse until 1976, when the new county government center was built just minutes from downtown off Cochran Avenue. The downtown courthouse was constructed in 1885 and was the second courthouse for the county. The first now sits at Bennett Park.

The Courthouse Square Association’s website, csamuseum.net, provides information on the project as well as other offerings and opportunities at the site. It also has a place where folks can donate to the elevator project.