Blaze Renders $25M Courthouse Renovation Project Moot

UPPER MARLBORO, MD-A four-alarm fire has ripped through the historic Duvall Wing of the Prince George’s County Courthouse, leaving the 151,000-sf red-brick building gutted. The blaze erupted yesterday morning and caused an estimated $40 million in damages.

The two-story structure, developed in 1880 on Main St., had been undergoing a $25 million renovation since May 2003 under the guidance of general contractor Coakley & Williams Construction Inc. Work was scheduled to reach completion in January, but now the county will have to start from scratch.

“This courthouse is a treasure to the county,” Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson attests, “we will rebuild this Prince George’s County landmark.” According to county records, the building has an assessed value of $8.4 million.

A landmark property, the courthouse carried a $100 million insurance policy. No one was seriously injured in the fire, and important records had been transferred to another wing due to the construction process.