Lowndes County Courthouse

Valdosta, Georgia

 

 

Programming, Architectural Design, Landscape Design, Interior Design, Construction Administration

 

 

Description: 

 

This Neoclassical structure is one of Georgia’s most elaborate courthouses.   Ellis, Ricket made site visits to verify existing conditions and validate problems.  Our approach to accomplish this project was to thoroughly investigate the accessible existing conditions for structural roof deck drainage and determine the kind and type of all existing metal flashing and sheet metal. We developed preliminary window solutions for the tiered portion of the dome and presented to the County and Historical Review Board for review

 

Renovation of the Lowndes County Courthouse roof and dome includes work that  corrected leaking problems which plagued the court room for several years and new paint on all painted surfaces at the roof level.  Some of the other items include roofing of all surfaces, except the five copper domes; replacement of column capitals at the lower level of the dome; stabilizing and refinishing of all decorative railings and finials; added structural support for railings; new windows to replace the plywood at both dome levels; and new lighting for both exterior and interior conditions.

 

The work required for restoring the decorative railings, finials and copper trim on the domes was very labor intensive, requiring many hours of shop work and on-site preparation and installation time.  There are few craftsmen available to do such sensitive detailed work that accomplished the expected results making the building water tight and ready to withstand extreme weather conditions for the next fifty years.