Greenspond Courthouse

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Greenspond Courthouse is a wooden, two-storey courthouse in Greenspond, Newfoundland and Labrador, built in the Second Empire style and designed by William Henry Churchill, who was the superintendent of public buildings. It sits on a hill overlooking Greenspond Harbour and Bonavista Bay, replacing an earlier courthouse.

The cornerstone was laid in 1899 and construction began in August 1900, finishing in 1901. The building features a mansard roof, dormer windows, and a walk-in tower, and it is the smallest of Churchill’s standard designs. The tower’s domed top was removed in the 1920s and later restored.

Its design matches other Newfoundland courthouses from the same period, many with two-sided mansard roofs and frontal towers. By 1933 there were about 26 courthouses in Newfoundland; by 1977 only nine remained, Greenspond among them.

The first presiding magistrate was Judge Seymour, who was working there during construction; the community expressed regret at his departure in 1901. In 1900–1901, magistrate salaries were $750, stipendiary magistrate $300, and the gaoler $84.

Local oral tradition says the courthouse also served as a morgue during shipwrecks.

Greenspond Courthouse was designated a Registered Heritage Structure on October 25, 1988, and won the Southcott Award for restoration in 1998. On September 8, 1999, a special sitting of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland marked the 100th anniversary of the start of construction. It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places on December 23, 2004.

In 2019 the Greenspond Historic Society launched a fundraising campaign to restore the building, which had fallen into disrepair. By September 2020 restoration work had begun, including rebuilding the centre tower. The dome was removed by crane, refurbished on the ground, then lifted back into place.

An adaptive reuse study explored ideas such as a taproom, picnic area, and accommodations that would preserve the building’s historic character.