Courthouse Shut Down After Power Outage

The lights were out and the doors locked at the Brookline courthouse this morning after a power outage apparently shut the facility down.

A hand-written sign taped inside the front door of the courthouse read, "Court not in session due to loss of electricity," and directed questions to the Brookline Public Safety Building next door. Officers stationed at the front desk were not aware of the closure.

The Public Safety Building, located adjacent to the courthouse on Washington Street, still had power, as did Town Hall across the street. Utility crews were seen working further down Washington Street, and construction work is also underway in the library garage across the street.

No one was answering phones at the courthouse around 12:30 p.m. Fire Chief Peter Skerry said Brookline dispatchers were aware of the outage.

"They say it's just that one building, so it's localized to them," he said.

Brookline's courthouse is owned by Norfolk County.