For months, preservationists have been battling to save Paul Rudolph's Brutalist showpiece, the ailing Orange County Government Center in Goshen, N.Y., from partial demolition and "soul-crushing" updates. Earlier this spring, the county-planned overhaul was stalled after a local lawyer Michael Sussman brought the case to court, requesting a temporary restraining order to block the project. At the time, State Supreme court judge Christopher Cahill prohibited any demolition work until July so he can have enough time to review the arguments from both sides. Well it's effectively July, and the ruling is in: the $74M renovation can go forward.
According to the NY Times, Cahill dismissed Sussman's suit last week "on the grounds that it was a waste of taxpayer money." Sussman has already filed a notice of appeal and is hoping to stall the project even more while the appeal is pending. Work on the building though is expected to begin around July 1.
Below is a shot of the building from a week ago, with signs of construction already apparent. The Government Center was just included in our new guide to architectural tourism around the country, but alas, time may be running out to see this one.
· Judge Stalls Demolition of Paul Rudolph's Government Center [Curbed]
· Curbed's Guide to Architectural Tourism Across the Country [Curbed]
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