PALM BEACH COUNTY MARKS BEGINNING OF 1916 COURTHOUSE
RESTORATION
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (February 6, 2004)---
Palm Beach County’s Board of County Commissioners
hosted a ceremony on Jan. 22 to mark the beginning of the
unwrapping and restoration of the historic 1916 County Courthouse
in Downtown West Palm Beach. The event, held in the courtyard
of the Governmental Center signaled the start of the first
phase in the two-year restoration process: the removal of
the 1970s brick façade that surrounds the original
1916 building. Once the unwrapping is complete, the process
of restoration will begin, which will also include the demolition
of the 1955 and 1927 additions. The restored courthouse
will be used by the county for office space and will also
house the area’s first county-wide history museum
and the headquarters of the Historical Society of Palm Beach
County.
County commissioners Karen Marcus, Jeff Koons,
Warren Newell, Mary McCarty, Burt Aaronson, Tony Masilotti,
and Addie Greene; plus Robert Weisman, County Administrator;
Edward Fine, Chief Judge; Harvey Oyer, president of the
Historical Society of Palm Beach County; Dale Hedrick, president
of Hedrick Brothers Construction; and Rick Gonzalez, president
of REG Architects, were each given mallets contribute to
the demolition of the exterior façade. Several of
the bricks will be distributed as keepsakes of the historic
occasion.
Over 200 people attended the event, including
West Palm Beach Mayor, Lois Frankel, West Palm Beach City
Commissioners and other public officials and dignitaries.
Also in attendance were Polly Mounts, wife of the late retired
Circuit Judge Marvin Mounts; Michael Bornstein, Judge Edward
Rogers and Katharine Dickenson.
“Encased within this brick facade is
one of our county’s most important landmarks and the
foundation of our county’s legislative and judicial
history,” said Commission Chair Karen T. Marcus. “Through
the preservation of buildings like this one, we are able
to share the symbols of our past with future generations,
giving our children invaluable insight and understanding
into the world we live in. Once completed, the restored
courthouse will be a centerpiece of the county’s cultural
and educational landscape, providing quality programming
for both children and adults.”
After many individual and collective efforts
to save the historic courthouse from demolition, led by
community preservationists and Historical Society leaders,
the Board of County Commissioners voted in April 2002 to
preserve and share the building with the public, committing
to pay for the estimated $18.5 million required to restore
the building to its original neoclassical grandeur. The
opportunity paved the way for the Historical Society of
Palm Beach County to request space for the county’s
first history museum inside the restored courthouse. In
February 2003, Palm Beach County’s Board of County
Commissioners voted unanimously to grant space to the organization
to house its headquarters and the museum on the third and
fourth floors of the building. Based on the lease agreement
to be signed with the county, the Historical Society will
pay for the build-out of the museum’s galleries and
exhibits and carry the $700,000 estimated annual operating
expenses.
Expected to be completed in 2006, the 8,000
sq.-ft. museum will be free to all Palm Beach County residents.
It will include over 3,000 sq.-ft. of permanent gallery
space, featuring state-of-the art, interactive exhibits
designed to engage both children and adults. The exhibits
will reflect the influence of every culture in Palm Beach
County’s diverse history, from the earliest Native
American inhabitants to the present day. Nearly 700 sq.-ft.
of gallery space will be dedicated to temporary and traveling
exhibits. A highlight of the museum will be the two-story,
2,897 sq.-ft. restored courtroom that played a central role
in the county’s legislative and judicial history.
Hedrick Brothers Construction of West Palm
Beach, Fla., will serve as the Construction Manager for
the 1916 courthouse restoration project, working with REG
Architects, also of West Palm Beach, Fla.
For more information about the restoration
of the 1916 county courthouse, contact Palm Beach County
Public Affairs, (561) 355-2754.
For more information about the plans for the
history museum located inside the 1916 county courthouse,
contact Historical Society of Palm Beach County executive
director, Loren Mintz, (561) 832-4164.
Return to News Room
