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Preservation group proposes museum, topographical exhibit and cafe for Franklin’s historic courthouse
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Summary
At the April 27 task‑force meeting, historic‑preservation member Mister Heller presented a preliminary plan to open the historic Williamson County courthouse to the public: keep the courtroom intact, add a first‑floor topographical exhibit and gallery space, and include a small coffee shop to serve visitors.
Mister Heller, the task force’s historic‑preservation member, presented a preliminary three‑part recommendation April 27 to reopen and repurpose the historic Williamson County courthouse as a public history and visitor space while preserving the courtroom.
Heller told the task force the original courthouse (built in the 1850s) is largely unused and locked and that his group — Franklin Preservation Partners, working with 906 Studio (Mike Hathaway and Brandon Priddy) — evaluated three alternatives. Heller said his committee rejected converting the building to standard offices and also rejected moving the county archives and museum from 5 Points because the historic courthouse lacks the necessary square footage and back‑of‑house capacity.
Heller’s preferred approach would preserve the second‑floor historic courtroom "essentially intact," create two repurposed first‑floor rooms to host a raised, topographical map exhibit illustrating Williamson County history and settlement patterns, and build a gallery called "The Way We Were" to display portraits and photographs. He also proposed a small coffee shop in the front portion to serve visitors and activate the historic square.
Heller emphasized the building’s limited usable footprint (he cited approximately 5,300 sq ft for the first story and a roughly 5,000‑sq‑ft historic courtroom on the second floor) and noted the 1970s rear addition (roughly 17,000 sq ft) remains in full use by the sheriff’s office and political offices. He acknowledged that security and operations — including how the sheriff would secure the upstairs space during public hours and the need for holding cells and secure circulation — would need to be resolved before any public opening.
Task‑force members raised practical concerns about access and operations: at least two public access points to the second floor, the need for secure circulation and the timeframe for relocating sheriff operations (staff said that move would likely be several years away). Members also asked Heller to provide a written summary of his group’s preliminary plan for the task force packet so the options and likely costs can be documented.
What comes next: Heller will prepare written materials summarizing the proposal, and the task force will keep rehabilitation of the historic courthouse on future agendas while it advances site analyses and funding discussions for any new facility.
