Delaware County has entered into a 99-year no-cost lease to oversee the 1724 Chester Courthouse, writes Kathleen E. Carey for the Daily Times.

Council approved the contract 4-0 with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.  

The PHMC said it no longer has the resources to care for the building.

There were concerns. Some council members suggested an inspection should have been done before signing the lease.

An independent engineer has listed items that need attention in a 2019 report that matches items noted by PHMC.

Others worried about adequate local funding to care for the building.

Preservationists have been trying to find a way to save the historic building at 412 Avenue of the States in Chester.

It is the oldest continuously used courthouse in the United States.

The county, the Delaware County Historical Society and a new advisory committee will oversee the property.

Council also approved a $35,000 reallocation from the Delaware County Bar Association to the county Historical Society, raising its annual allotment to $85,000, to maintain the courthouse.

The PHMC will oversee preservation and maintenance projects at the building for the first five years of the lease.

Read more at the Daily Times about the county purchase of the Chester courthouse.