Phase one of Courthouse exterior restoration wrapping up

Press release from Allen County government:

Phase One of Courthouse Exterior Restoration Wrapping Up
Scaffolding being removed; Phase two set to start next March

(December 3, 2009) – Work on the first phase of a project to restore the exterior of the historic Allen County Courthouse is nearing completion and the scaffolding erected around the Courthouse tower is being dismantled.

“All of the scaffolding should be down by the end of next week, weather permitting,” according to Rick Freitag, restoration consultant with General Restoration Corporation, the Columbus, Ohio firm that’s doing the work. “Then, it will take about another week for us to clean up our staging area on the Calhoun Street side of the Courthouse.”

Phase one of the project involved the “tower” of the Courthouse, including the dome, lantern and areas above the flat roof of the building. Limestone and terra cotta were cleaned, re-glazed and re-tucked to insure prevention of water damage.

“We’re very impressed with the quality of General Restoration’s work,” added Fritz Herget with Arsee Engineers, which is overseeing the project. “They’ve done a really good job and we look forward to working with them on phase two next year.”

The project’s second phase will start in mid-to-late March and is expected to last approximately nine months. It will cover the joint and limestone repair from the ground level up to the flat roof. The granite perimeter of the Courthouse will also be repaired and waterproofed. Phase two also includes waterproofing and repairing the tunnel that leads from the Courthouse to the City-County building. One lane of Calhoun Street and the sidewalk adjacent to the Courthouse will be closed once again and used as a staging area for the contractors.

Allen County Treasurer John McGauley has photos of the restoration work posted on his Facebook page.