Serving more than 184,000 citizens and housing nearly 1,200 inmates, the Hall County Sheriff's Office simply ran out of space, requiring a move from the old county jail to a 33-acre Government Center campus within Gainesville, Ga. Formerly plagued with broken heating and air systems, as well as the need to turn closets into offices, the new three-story, 50,000-square-foot headquarters opened in 2016 at a cost of approximately $5 million.
“After looking at the renovation of existing space at numerous other locations, the Sheriff’s Office decided the design and build of its own building at the administrative campus was the most practical and economical alternative,” says Doug Straughan, a principal partner at Hussey Gay Bell, the architect of record for the project. “The goal was to design a durable, low-maintenance facility with a contemporary look and feel that blended with the existing complex, but yet stood out. Given it was a municipal project paid through a special purpose sales tax, we were extremely cognizant about meeting these requirements, while maximizing budget at every turn.”