Durham County Commissioners approved names and aesthetic touches for two new county buildings this morning.
The new headquarters on East Main Street for public health and social services will be called "Durham County Human Services." Previously it had been called a "human-services complex."
" 'Complex' sounds complicated," commissioner Ellen Reckhow said.
The new courthouse on Dillard Street will be the "Durham County Courthouse." Previously it had been referred to as the Durham County Justice Center.
But when people are trying to find the building where court is held, said architect Travis Hicks, they look for the Durham County Courthouse. Adding "Justice Center" to the county's current "Judicial Building" and "Old Courthouse" would compound confusion, he said.
The name "Durham County Justice Center," he suggested, would denote the block including the new courthouse, a new parking deck and the county jail.
The wording on the glass wall by the Human Services entrance in the architect's rendering above will be replaced by:
"Durham's vitality is built upon the health of our residents and the capacity of our community to foster and enhance the wellbeing of every citizen."
"It is about the county and its citizens," said architect Phil Freelon. "And why that's important to us as a community."
Commissioners also liked an idea for a three-story wall backing a stairway inside the new courthouse: using hundreds of small historic photographs as a mosaic making up a wall-sized image of a Durham landmark such as the 1916 Old Courthouse.
"Commemorating our history is a great idea," Reckhow said.
