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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Linn County kicks off ‘multiyear’ interior courthouse remodel
The renovation will help meet evolving space needs at the 100-year-old building.
Nov. 24, 2025 5:30 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Starting next year, county officials hope to leverage a multiphase renovation project — and a game of “musical office chairs” — to tackle growing space needs at the Linn County Courthouse.
The Linn County Board of Supervisors last week approved a resolution setting a Dec. 15 public hearing to approve the proposed plans, specifications and estimated cost for phase one of the interior remodel. A construction contract will be awarded in January.
Phase one of the project includes the creation of additional offices and conference space on the building’s main floor for court administration and clerk of courts staff. It also will cover mechanical upgrades to the area’s heating and cooling system and help prepare for the next phase of construction.
“There’s a lot of paper records in that area. (After digitization) those will be moved out, we’ll move employees over there temporarily to do the remodeling and then move everyone back once (the offices) are done,” said architect Rob Peck. “Then that space will be vacant for phase two.”
The overarching goal of the renovation project is to open up space for the expansion of the Linn County Attorney’s Office, which staffs nearly two dozen attorneys and 19 support staff to handle legal proceedings within the county.
Linn County Policy and Administration Director Darrin Gage said the most logical means of achieving that goal is to expand the department’s footprint into an adjacent portion of the third floor that currently holds a courtroom.
The need for courtroom space remains strong, however, so the expansion necessitates the addition of a new courtroom somewhere else within the building — namely within the portion of the facility’s main floor that will be vacated at the end of phase one.
Phase two will then cover the construction of the new courtroom and phase three will be the expansion of the county attorney’s office.
This project “gives us the opportunity to play some musical chairs and move employees around,” Gage said. “In addition to that, … it also includes replacing some really antiquated HVAC systems and adding some various improvements to the workspace” overall.
Gage said the renovation is expected to be a “multiyear project” overall that will be phased to keep pace with projected space needs of the facility’s growing staff.
Phase one is expected to cost around $755,000 — funded through the county’s capital improvement budget — with completion expected in fall of 2026. The cost and timeline of future phases will be dependent upon funding availability, material costs and the urgency of other county projects.
The renovation is possible in large part because of the ongoing digitization of paper records that have been stored at the 100-year-old courthouse. Digitizing those records frees up space, thus allowing more flexibility within the building’s footprint.
At their most recent work session, Linn County supervisors expressed broad support for the renovation and its goal of meeting the courthouse’s evolving space needs.
“These aren’t just remodeling projects that are just adding something extra or some fluff,” said District 1 Supervisor Kirsten Running-Marquardt. “… This really is key infrastructure needed at the courthouse.”
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