A city of Bend commission gave its approval earlier this week for the demolition of one of Bend’s oldest buildings, but the building’s distinctive facade will be preserved and stored.

The A.J. Tucker Building, which was built in 1919 and has stood beside the Deschutes County Circuit Court for decades, will be demolished to make room for expanding the courthouse.

The Bend Landmarks Commission gave its unanimous approval, which is required by the city’s historic preservation code, during a public hearing Tuesday.

It voted to grant Deschutes County’s request to inventory, dismantle and store the building’s lava-rock facade and demolish the rest of the building, which sits at the northeast corner of NW Greenwood Avenue and NW Harriman Street.

The preserved section of the facade is expected to be rebuilt, but officials have yet to determine where.

Heidi Slaybaugh, a historic preservation architect, presented before the commission and estimated the cost of the operation to be around $170,000, plus architecture and engineering fees.

That total does not include costs incurred from future use of the facade.

“It’s not the cheapest option the county’s looking at,” said Slaybaugh, after noting that demolishing the building entirely would cost around $50,000 less. “It’s the best for holding their sense of stewardship for owning a historic building.”

For more than a decade, Slaybaugh and other local officials have been trying to figure out what to do with the distinct single-story lava-rock building, which has been the Deschutes County Circuit Court annex since the 1980s. Moving the building entirely wasn’t feasible because it has no foundation or structure.

Historic Tucker building must be moved, brick by brick, to make room for courthouse expansion

Historic Tucker building must be moved, brick by brick, to make room for courthouse expansion

The A.J. Tucker Building was originally built by a man of the same name as a carpenter and blacksmith shop.

Ever since, it has served as a pioneer museum, a law library, a jury room, a family court, office and training space for county officials and a place to hold grand jury proceedings.

“They have done everything they can over the years to adaptively reuse this structure and keep it in operation, which is commendable,” Slaybaugh said of county officials.

But now the building is old and worn. County officials were unable to find anyone to buy it. And a planned expansion of the Deschutes County Circuit Court has made its end inevitable, officials said this week.

The 52,000-square-foot expansion to the court is slated to begin next spring. Construction, officials estimate, will last through summer of 2025.

The new courthouse will include new courtrooms, judges’ chambers, sheriff’s office facilities, holding cells, a sally port, enclosed secure parking, administration offices and court clerks’ offices.

The commission also voted Tuesday to create a plaque to commemorate the historic building.