Chattanooga is getting a federal courthouse built to inspire. The U.S. General Services Administration broke ground Oct. 21 on a new $282 million courthouse downtown, one of the first under President Trump’s executive order on Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again.
The building will be about 191,000 square feet. It will house the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the Circuit Library, with seven courtrooms and nine chambers, plus space for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshals. Completion is expected in 2030.
“This is the first project that is incorporating the executive order that President Trump put forward to put in place new architecture that inspires America,” Sen. Bill Hagerty said at the groundbreaking.
Hagerty said the project is personal. “Something that I’ll always hold close to my heart,” he said, “that we’re able to get this project across the finish line to get it fully funded.” GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann also marked the day.
“It’s great to partner with @potus and @USGSA_Ed to make federal architecture beautiful again,” Hagerty posted Friday. “For decades to come, Americans will appreciate the courthouse we’re building in Chattanooga. It will uplift the spirit, and symbolize our respect for the rule of law.”
