Modesto shares initial courthouse reuse details. Housing, event pavilion and more
Up to six stories of housing and a large gathering place could rise on the block to be vacated by Stanislaus Superior Court.
The city of Modesto unveiled the tentative plan at a Wednesday night workshop at Greens on Tenth. The details could change as the staff assesses the site conditions and seeks a developer well into 2026, business analyst Katherine Bakus said.
The plan suggests demolishing the three-story main court building on 11th Street and replacing it with what it dubs the Marketplace. The open-sided structure could host events and provide spaces for food, art and other ventures.
The site of the already vacant jail at 12th and H streets could once again have residents — law-abiding folks this time. Up to five stories of housing would sit atop ground-floor businesses.
The plan would retain the Hall of Records on I Street, beloved by fans of Modernist architectecture and now used for family law. It has five floors in some portions and three in others. It could get a mix of homes and ground-floor businesses.
The new courthouse is scheduled to be ready by next spring on the block bounded by Ninth, 10th, G and H streets. The state covered the entire $352 million cost.
About 60 people attended the workshop, hosted by the city Community and Economic Development Department. A similar event in January sought ideas for the courthouse block. No other sessions are planned, but the public can comment when specific projects seek approval.
Renderings of the ideas were in a slide show by Brad Hawn, a former City Council member and current housing advocate. He volunteered his skills as a structural engineer to the courthouse planning.
Hawn said the Marketplace would have a “clerestory” roof that lets in light while buffering the summer heat and winter chill. It would offer space for events of varying size. “We could put 50 taco trucks in there one day, and the next day have a wedding and the next day have a band come and play, ” Hawn said.
Workshop attendees likened the idea to the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco and the Oxbow Public Market in Napa.
No one pleaded to spare the main court building, built in 1960 with a few Modernist touches. It handles criminal cases, with security that is less than ideal. Civil and probate matters are in leased buildings for now. The new courthouse will consolidate all of the functions, with eight floors on Ninth Street and three on 10th.
The Hall of Records is an early Modernist example that should remain, said Harrison Power, chairman of the Modesto Landmark Preservation Commission.
He said the structure was completed in 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, part of the New Deal response to the Depresssion. It was designed in the Bauhaus style by local architect Russell Guerne DeLappe.
“It’s a concrete block — yes, it is — but it’s a fairly significant concrete block,” said Power, who also is quality and safety manager at Sierra Pacific Warehouse Group.
The jail was built in 1954 and closed in 2018 due to its poor condition. It continues to be a holding site for inmates brought to court daily from the jail on Hackett Road.
The block has an interior brick courtyard not open to the public. It could be part of a walkway serving the new uses.
The courthouse reuse plan would retain the small park along I Street. It has mature shade trees, a war memorial and a statue of Chief Estanislao, the county’s namesake.
The state and county own various parts of the courthouse block. The city plans to buy them after checking for asbestos and other concerns.
The City Council in 2020 adopted a downtown master plan that mainly sought to add dense housing. The district has plenty of office workers on weekdays, and dining and entertainment into the night.
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 10:43 AM.
