Times Observer file photo
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission has approved nearly $64,000 in grant funding for repairs to the ceiling of the Main Courtroom at the Warren County Courthouse. This photo was taken during a 1998 restoration of the same space.
The Warren County Courthouse cost “not much” over $100,000 to build in the late 1870s.
“The whole exterior is imposing in effect of graceful outlines and harmonious proportions and the interior,” a local paper reported when it was constructed.
Flash forward nearly 150 years and the iconic structure – listed on the National Register of Historic Places – needs work.
A piece of that restoration – the condition of the roof in the Main Courtroom – will be addressed by a Pennsylvania Historic & Museum Commission grant awarded last month.
The project was one of 44 funded through the Keystone Historic Preservation Construction Grant program.
Per the PHMC, the county was awarded $63,710.
“The work will include assessing and addressing damage to sustain the ceiling’s integrity and historical significance,” Rep. Kathy Rapp said in a newsletter, “aligning with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Properties.”
“We’re thrilled to announce this year’s grantees for this critical funding that supports preservation work across the Commonwealth,” PHMC Executive Director Andrea Lowery said in a release.
“Projects range from restorations of a World War I memorial in Munhall Borough (Allegheny County) and the Slate Hill Cemetery in Lower Makefield Township (Bucks County) to masonry restoration at Presque Isle Light Station (Erie County) and structural stabilization of the original 1850 farmhouse and barn at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm in Stroudsburg (Monroe County).
“From bank barns to penitentiaries and 18th-century Quaker meetinghouses to 20th-century synagogues, the preservation of these resources is key to ensuring the legacy of Pennsylvania’s rich history.”
According to the PHMC, these grants “support projects that identify, preserve, promote, and protect historic and archaeological resources in Pennsylvania for both the benefit of the public and the revitalization of communities” and are funded by state realty transfer tax revenue to the Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund.
The Warren County Courthouse opened with for the Dec. 1877 term at a total cost of $97,434.59, $85,000 of which was borrowed from the Rouse Fund.
Furnishing the courthouse in 1877 cost roughly $6,000.
The current Main Courtroom and Courthouse are significantly different than someone would have seen them
in 1877.
Additions to the courthouse were made in 1916 and 1925 and additional major renovations completed in 1942.
Pictures taken prior to 1941 of the main courtroom reveal a chandelier and four fireplaces for heat, as well as ceiling fans and an upright piano located near the entrance to the attorney’s room to the east of the bench.
The commissioners deliberated on improvements in December 1941 and discussed an architect’s proposal that included “…repairs made necessary by reason of the falling of (a) portion of the ceiling.”
The courthouse saw a significant renovation again in 1963 that was more of a modernization that occurred at the height of the Cold War when the prospect of nuclear war was, or was at least perceived to be, a realistic possibility.
So the 1963 work provided “the necessary protection for a civil defense operations headquarter in the event of a nuclear attack or natural emergency,” according to an article in the Warren paper.
The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Structural damage was observed in October 1998 which led to a disturbance of asbestos, resulting the courtroom being stripped of all furnishings, carpeting and tile.
That damage, according to a 1998 Times Observer article, was caused by an August thunderstorm.
The courthouse was closed for months.
The storm “triggered a series of events that bowed the ceiling.” Restoration specialists “popped (it) back into shape with the use of a crane,” we reported at the time. “Upon rehanging the main courtroom ceiling, acoustic materials were accidentally penetrated, releasing asbestos particles into the air and onto the benches, carpeting, walls and drapery.”
Refurbishing included the ceiling, woodwork on the courtroom benches and new carpeting and drapes.
The courthouse added a courtroom when the Robert H. Jackson Courtroom was dedicated in 2005 on the courthouse’s second floor.
The last board of commissioners undertook a substantial renovation that aimed to restore the exterior from the roofline up. Leaks were common prior to that work which undoubtedly had an effect on the need for the current repairs.
