Aiken County - American Courthouses

Aiken County is named for William Aiken, who was a Governor of South Carolina.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Edgefield County, Saluda County and Lexington County

E – Orangeburg County and Barnwell County

S – Barnwell County and Burke County, Georgia

W – Richmond County, Georgia

Created: March 10, 1871

County Seat:

Aiken 1871 – present

County Courthouse / County Judicial Center – Aiken

Location: 109 Park Avenue SE / Chesterfield Street South

Built: 1881 – 1882

Style: Neo-Classical Revival / Second Empire

Architect: Robert N McGrath and W M Aiken

Contractor: J W Woodward of Barnwell County

Description: The building faces north and is a two story gray colored stone, stuccoed brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Aiken. The building has a portico on the north front with four large columns rising to a pediment and peaked roof behind. The lower part of portico has narrow arches, an entrance and a staircase rising on either side. The second story has double arched windows on either side of the portico. On the center of the hipped roof is a square white colored dome rising to an octagonal with small cupola at the top. In 1902 the annex on the east side was built. The architect was Robert N McGrath and the contractor was J W Woodward of Barnwell County. In 1934, the building was remodeled and enlarged. The architect was Willis Irvin of Augusta and the contractor was F E Stiefel. The building was remodeled in 1954. In July 1981, the bell tower was struck by lightning. The County Judicial Center was constructed on the east side in 1984 to 1986. The two story rectangular shaped building is attached to the courthouse along the west side. A high atrium has open stairs and a large skylight at the roof. The building has five courtrooms with three courtrooms on the first story and two courtrooms on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County Family Court and County Probate Court of the 2nd Judicial Circuit. The architect was Wells, Law & Associates Inc. and the contractor was L Adams Construction Company Inc.

Note: The cost of construction of the courthouse was $12,733. The contract for construction was signed on January 18, 1881 and is 13 handwritten pages. In 1934, the cost of remodeling the building was $70,000.

See: The 2nd Judicial Circuit includes Bamberg County and Barnwell County

History: The county was created in 1871 and Aiken was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was constructed by William Gregg Jr. in 1872 at 320 Colleton Avenue and known as Elm Court. The building was destroyed by fire on January 25, 1970. The second courthouse was constructed in 1881 to 1882. The County Judicial Center was constructed in 1984 to 1986.

County Administration Building – Aiken

Location: 1930 University Parkway / Grand Oaks Way

Built: 2012 – 2014

Style: Modern

Architect: McMillan Pazdan Smith Architects of Greenville

Contractor: BE & H Building Group of Greenville

Description: The building faces northeast and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in Aiken. The building is named as the Aiken county Government Center and houses the County Magistrate Court of the 2nd Judicial Circuit.

Old County Administration Building – Aiken

Location: 828 Richland Avenue West / Fauburg Street

Built: 1917 – 1918

Style: Modern

Architect: Unknown

Contractor: Unknown

Description: The building faces south and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is “T” shaped with a central wing extending north. The south front has a central projecting entrance on the first story with two white colored columns. A horizontal belt runs above the second story and third story windows. The third story has a projecting eave at the roof line. The north and south wings are two stories. The building has a flat roof line. The building was constructed as a hospital and expanded in 1949. In 1976, the building became the county administration building until 2014. The building stands empty.