Old jail, communication center torn down

WASHINGTON — Downtown residents and commuters were greeted by the sight and sound of a crumbling building Wednesday morning, as demolition crews set to work tearing apart the former Washington County Jail and communications center. The building north of the courthouse, while still county-owned, has been out of use for years.

Former Washington County Supervisor Virginia Bordwell was on the board when the building was last expanded, with an accessible entrance and bathrooms. She called the former law enforcement office an “eyesore” and a hazard, citing an anecdote about how water used to flow out of the office’s electrical outlets when it rained.

“I’m glad to see it go, it’s a mess, and it’s a useless mess,” she said. “And they’re going to take down the tower too, that was always an issue … to move that was just unthinkable, but communications have changed so much that they don’t need it. And that will clean up the skyline, shall we say.”

Current Washington County Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. came to watch the demolition as well, coffee mug in-hand. As a former deputy sheriff and investigator, the center was once his place of work.

Nonetheless, he expressed the same sentiment as Bordwell.

“It’s time, it’s old and past its prime,” he said. “There’s been a lot of history that went through that building, but times change.”

Documents from the historical register say the lot was used for a sheriff’s residence with an attached jail as early as 1885. By the ‘60s, that house stopped passing inspections, leading to its replacement by the now-familiar brick structure after a resident won a Halloween costume contest by dressing as the older building. More recently, an east-side shed and communications equipment were installed on the outside for its use as a safety center.

Every city and county vote to remove the building was unanimous. In a memo to Washington’s historical preservation commission members, real estate broker associate Connie Larsen said it was likely beyond saving.

“Any time a building sits empty without services and maintenance, issues like these happen,” she wrote. “The communications/jail building is past its best use, as the floor plan is poor and very cut up for today’s standards … the current building is more of a liability.”

County decision-makers have not yet publicly discussed plans for the lot’s future.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com