BEND, OR -- Crews will start dismantling the historic AJ Tucker building Monday in downtown Bend, brick by brick. It was built in 1919, but is now in the way of expansion plans for the neighboring Deschutes County Courthouse. 

County Facilities Director Lee Randall says they worked out a compromise with Bend’s Landmarks Commission, "The solution we arrived at was to save the front facade. It’ll be cataloged. We have an elevation plan that documents the original size and location of the various stones, so that it could be replicated in the future." He tells KBND News more than 300 bricks will be preserved, "They’ll be numbered with a number engraved on the back of each stone and rock, and then palletized. Our agreement is to store them for eight years, but hopefully we’ll find a solution well short of that, and find a new purpose for the rock and the stone from the facade."

The stone could eventually be sold to a private party or used for a public project, "Entryway to a plaza or a park-like setting. And we’ve looked at a variety of locations on county-owned property where that might be an option. We have some conceptual drawings showing it being used for a pavilion-type structure."

The crosswalk at Greenwood and Harriman, along with adjacent sidewalks will be closed while the work is underway. "On the masonry side, we’re scheduled for two weeks for taking down that front wall and saving the stone," says Randall, "And then from there, contractors will take down the rest of the building." That final demolition will be much faster. 

Construction of the courthouse expansion is expected to begin later this spring.