Bursting with Pride
With clear information in hand and the Revit 3-D model to facilitate design, the restoration effort progressed rapidly. The false ceilings and 1970s-era walls that had chopped up the grand courtroom were removed. The arched windows and wood beams were repaired by millworkers who also created and installed interior wood components, including the balcony rail, gallery rail, trim pieces, wood pilasters, dais and wainscoting. The dramatic punched tin ceiling was replaced with an exact replica.
The building’s unsightly staircase is now a beautiful highlight. Contractors removed the original newel post, raised the element to the required code height, and restored and reinstalled the post along with the original curved top rail on new wood spindles. The wood tread and risers were removed and refabricated.
In the main hall, old tile flooring was removed and a new sub-floor installed to correct the sloping floors. The original ceramic center tiles were incorporated into the new flooring—another highlight of craftsmanship and careful preservation. Another fortunate twist in the project involved the original yellow pine doors from the first floor. The doors, which featured black walnut trim and brass mail slots, had been removed in the 1980s and replaced with aluminum and glass storefront doors. During a project meeting, the building’s maintenance supervisor mentioned the original doors were still stored in a barn off-site. After discovering they were salvageable, the doors were fully restored and reinstalled—an ideal match for the ornate doorframes along the first floor. (Read below about how a demolition error actually led to the discovery of the original doors.)
In addition to the meticulous restoration work, the modernization included the successful installation of new HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, security and IT systems; measures to meet ADA and life-safety codes; and a basement remodeling to accommodate staff and storage space, as well as mechanical equipment. Dewberry had previously proposed the cooling tower be located off-site on the roof of the new law and justice center, which kept this large piece of equipment away from the historic courthouse grounds. The existing exterior lighting, handrails and fencing were replaced with elements that were more historically accurate. The building is once again accessible on all four sides, creating a more welcoming civic presence for the downtown district.
Today, the historic courthouse is functioning well as an office building and meeting place. The upstairs courtroom—now host to county board meetings, exhibitions and other events—has been returned to its original grandeur. According to William Fairfield, former county board chairman: “The end result is as near to the original as possible. We have heard nothing but positive remarks; the people of Livingston County are proud of our restored courthouse.”
The Original Doors
By Kevin G. Palmby, CSI, CCCA, DBIA, Dewberry
There were eight pairs of doors (16 total doors) along the main corridors of the first floor. The original doors were yellow pine with black walnut trim. These doors were removed and replaced with a basic black anodized aluminum full-glass storefront type door in the 1980s. Due to budget constraints, these aluminum doors were going to remain except for one set for the new restrooms that would be built at that location.
During the demolition phase of our renovation project, the demolition contractor removed ALL of these aluminum doors and put them in the Dumpster. After this was noticed, the demolition contractor obtained a quote to have the doors replaced with new aluminum doors: $20,000. With this $20,000 we decided to have the contractor provide a quote to have custom wood doors made to match the original doors (or as best we could assume the original doors looked like based on photos and the existing ornate wood door frames).
The quote for custom doors was about $50,000. Using the $20,000 from the demolition contractor, the owner would still need to pay $30,000 for custom wood doors. In a project meeting, this issue was being discussed, and in attendance that day was the owner’s building maintenance supervisor. After hearing us discuss the cost for replacing the doors with custom doors, he said, “You know, I think I still have the original doors down in the storage barn at the Retirement Home”.
So a few of us got in our cars and drove 5 miles down the road. We went into the barn, moved some materials to get the back of the barn and found all 16 original doors stacked neatly on their edges! The doors were basically in the same condition as they were when removed from the building (though a little dusty). They had seen almost 100 years of use, so they did need to be stripped of their existing finish; the edges were planed down to make them square; the original locksets were removed; and the damaged wood was replaced. The holes for the old locksets were filled with matching wood and new locksets were installed. The doors were refinished and installed. Most of the doors still had the original brass mail slot mounted on the door. These were cleaned and re-installed.
The cost of restoring the doors was almost as much as getting new wood doors, but having the original doors that matched the ornate door frames was a much better and easier decision to make. Without the demolition contractor making the error of removing all the doors, we would have never known the original doors existed and would not have had the opportunity to have them re-installed in their proper home!
Retrofit Materials
Punched-tin ceiling // W.F. Norman Corp.
Ceramic-tile flooring // Daltile
Air-handling units and VAV boxes // Carrier
Fire-protection system // The Pipco Cos.
Boardroom lights // OCL Architectural Lighting
Exterior handrails // Mechanical & Industrial Steel Services
Photos unless otherwise noted: Mariusz Mizera