Licking County Commissioners Tim Bubb, Duane Flowers, and Rick Black rededicated the restored West Courtroom at the historic 1876 Licking County Courthouse on May 1.
According to a Facebook post, the rededication marks the completion of a multi-year renovation, part of a decade-long restoration of the entire courthouse. Long-hidden details such as ornate ceiling murals and art glass windows have been revealed in the restoration. The commissioners, judges, other community leaders, and the public celebrated the preservation on May 1.
According to a Licking County Board of Commissioners agenda item, the rededication coincided with the approval of a change order that reduced construction costs by $41,222. This adjustment brought the new guaranteed maximum price down to $3.49 million. The change order was due to the county's decision not to relocate existing HVAC units and not to install wood trim around those units.
In a preview trailer for an upcoming documentary on the West Courtroom scheduled for release later this spring, Bubb described the historic courthouse as iconic, noting it is one of only a few beautiful 19th-century courthouses remaining in Ohio.
"I don't think anyone imagined what priceless artworks were hidden for so many decades. Underneath all of this dirt and grime, there were damaged areas, for example, three corbels that were completely gone," said Peter Schoenmann, director of Parma Conservation. "So we made new molds, cast new architectural elements. When you're diving into a project of this magnitude, you're gonna find surprises."
