Red Brick Courthouse Rockville

When Montgomery County was established in 1776, the first court was held inside of a tavern. The red brick courthouse is the oldest judicial building in Rockville. The building was designed by Frank E. Davis in the Romanesque Revival style, constructed with red brick and rough-cut stone. On the ground and first floor, there were offices and record storage while the Judge's chambers and courtroom were on the second floor.

As the county continued to expand, the adjacent Neoclassical grey courthouse was built and connected to the red brick courthouse. However, within 30 years, this combined space was also too small. The county drafted plans to demolish the red brick courthouse to expand the grey courthouse, however, the red brick courthouse was saved. When the Judicial Center opened across the street in 1982, the red brick courthouse was retired from judicial use, and Friends of the Red Brick Courthouse paid to renovate and restore the courthouse to its original appearance. In 1996, the red brick courthouse resumed legal operations, however, Peerless Rockville also operates from the building.

van Balgooy, Mary A. Red Brick Courthouse, Peerless Rockville. 2010. Accessed January 3rd 2021. https://www.peerlessrockville.org/historic-rockville/peerless-places-2/red-brick-courthouse/

Memorandum, "Maryland Historical Trust State Historic Trusts Form, M: 26-11-1," n.d., accessed January 3, 2021, https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Montgomery/M;%2026-11-1.pdf