posted on September 21, 2011 22:03
The Harris County 1910 Courthouse in downtown Houston reopened Aug. 23 after a $65 million restoration and renovation that began in March 2009.
Located at 301 Fannin, the six-story building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Classical Revival-style building is home to the 1st and 14th Texas State Court of Appeals.
Click on the link above the image accompanying this article to see a slide show of before and after shots of the renovation.
The renovation project was led by architecture firm PGAL and general contractor Vaughn Construction, both of which are Houston companies.
The goal was to restore the domed landmark to its original design, which included undoing extensive changes made during a 1950 renovation. The update also incorporated modern technology, safety and security features.
"It was necessary to gut most interiors and design significant construction programs to historically renovate 40 percent of all interiors as well as undertake a series of restoration and preservation improvements to the exterior," Jeff Gerber, PGAL president and CEO, said in a statement.
Two ornate courtrooms, two of the largest in the county, were restored to their original grandeur. Both two stories tall, one has an open, sloped mezzanine viewing gallery, while the other has a flat, enclosed mezzanine level.
Large granite steps leading to the original second-level entrances that were removed in 1950 were reconstructed.
The building originally had a cupola, but it was removed in 1930. A replication of the cupola, created in the 1980s but never installed, has been added on top of the building's dome.
8/24/11, Houston Business Journal