By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Last May, Madison County celebrated the completion of a year-and-a-half long renovation of its 110-year-old courthouse.
This fall, the Preservation Association of Central New York (PACNY) will recognize the Madison County Renovation project with the 2019 Pat Earle Award.
The award is presented to a singular outstanding historic preservation project that benefits the community.
“Madison County is honored to be the recipient of this year’s Pat Earle Award,” said Madison County Chairman John M. Becker in a press release. “We appreciate PACNY recognizing the dedication of our staff, supervisors and construction crews to keep the history and craftsmanship of the Courthouse. This building is part of our history, and we wanted to create a building that the people of Madison County would be proud of. We believe we have done just that.”
The $18 million project — which included a 20,000 square foot renovation and two additions — was designed to enhance the building’s Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility, efficiency, functionality and security.
The new layout provides enhanced accessibility through the addition of two elevators, ramps in each courtroom, ADA compliant custom door hardware, and a single-story ADA accessible entrance to the courthouse and county office building.
Although the principle objective of the project was to bring the courthouse into the 21st century, the county also endeavored to maintain the unique character and historic value of the James Riely Gordon-designed building.
Particular attention was given to the restoration and preservation of the building’s original Italian marble floors, painted walls, stained glass windows, iron handrails, and woodwork — including the unique decorative tulips featured throughout the rotunda.
“I think the stained glass window restoration was amazing,” said Madison County Historian Matthew Urtz. “Sullivan Studios did wonderful work.”
Elements of the historic building that could not be salvaged or that required updating such as doorways, light fixtures and door knobs, were recreated to mimic the character of the originals.
Artwork and statues were taken out of storage and positioned throughout the courthouse as additional reminders of the building’s history.
“Personally, I’m very proud that we’ve reinstalled a number of the portraits that hung in the courthouse prior to a 1960s construction project,” Urtz said. “Many of those were created in the 19th century, and it’s great that they are back on display again.”
Exterior work on the building included replacing the existing dome roof with copper roofing; cleaning and repairing the limestone and brick facades; installing modern timekeeping devices in the rotunda clocks; and mounting the new Lady Justice (Maat 3) and eagle statues atop the courthouse.
The 13-foot, five-inch Lady Justice — created by Charles Wambold, Paul George and Allison Boyd of American Bronze Foundry in Florida — is a bronze replica of the original zinc statue, installed in 1909.
James Seaman, an artist from the Finger Lakes Region, crafted the stainless steel eagle to match the original sculpture’s posture.
The Pat Earle Award will be presented at a formal ceremony on Oct. 23 at the May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Society in Syracuse.
“It’s the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people, including, but not limited to, the architects, construction workers, the board of supervisors, director of facilities, county administrator, the courts, myself and many others,” Urtz said. “It rewards our efforts to maintain the historic character and features of this building while making it available for everyone to use.”
According to Urtz, his office applied for the Pat Earle Award on behalf of the county.
The application required an explanation of the building’s historical significance, before and after photos, and additional information on the project.
The office submitted the application along with letters of support from Jessica Kruse, Project Architect for LaBella Associates; Laird Updyke, Senior Project Manager for LeChase Construction; and Molly Reynolds Fitzgerald, Administrative Judge for the Sixth Judicial District.
Past recipients of the Pat Earle Award include Hotel Syracuse in 2016 and the Crescent Commons Project in Cortland in 2018.
For more information on PACNY, visit pacny.net.
