The city of Tuscaloosa now has a new courthouse that will be home base for many government agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Marshals Office.

The courthouse was opened to incoming employees in the second week of October and to the public by the end of the month.

The courthouse began construction with a groundbreaking ceremony in December 2009. The building was designed in a Greek revival style mirroring the architecture of buildings at the University of Alabama.

Inside the courthouse 16 paintings by Caleb O’Connor will be displayed to show the history of Tuscaloosa.

“The artwork by Caleb really documents Tuscaloosa and is one of the more interesting things in the courthouse,” said Sarah Meginniss, a law clerk at the courthouse.

“The court rooms in the courthouse come with state of the art technology, including monitors for the jurors to look at evidence and interpreter headsets for people who do not speak English to listen to what is going on in court,” said Meginniss.

The cost for the courthouse was $47.8 million, far short of the estimated cost—$67 million—cited in the early stages of planning. All costs for the courthouse were approved and paid for by Congress.

“The design phase of the courthouse took about a year, and everything went smoothly during the building. We had great architects,” said Federal Judge L. Scott Coogler.

“With this new Federal Courthouse building we don’t have to worry about it eventually becoming unusable,” said Judge Coogler. “Different agencies will be able to use this facility for their purposes. The criminal probation offices now have sufficient facilities in which to operate in this new building.”

The Federal Courthouse and Building will have its grand opening in December with a dedication ceremony at its location in the downtown area of Tuscaloosa.