LaPorte County Courthouse
Award of Merit: Renovation/Rehabilitation
Built in 1892-94 using Lake Superior Red Sandstone, the LaPorte County Courthouse had suffered from years of weather, smog and missteps from past repairs.
The restoration focused on the exterior, including the restoration and repointing of the sandstone masonry, replacement of 132 windows, restoration of 82 stained-glass transom windows, minor repair to the slate roof and installation of bentonite waterproofing to the lead-stone foundation. The project also restored the dome skylight in the tower atrium, which had been painted over in the late 1960s.
It was more than 165 ft high to the top of the tower. The exterior was repointed using custom colored and historically accurate lime putty mortar, replacing the inappropriate cement mortar.
The stone was chemically cleaned and every inch sounded with hammers to remove deteriorated and delaminated stone. After sounding the stone, custom-manufactured repair mortar was installed to replace removed stone.
Elements of Restoration
Elements were restored to their original detail, including rock-face stone and dentils, banding and foliate courses, hoodmolds, voussoirs and pilaster window surrounds. More than 40 greenman faces were restored with injection mortar to repair cracks and repair mortar to replace broken noses and weathered faces.
Pinnacles on dormers were recreated in new sandstone to replace severely eroded nubs installed in a previous repair. Special scaffolding wrapped the tower allowing masons to restore stone otherwise inaccessible.
Original wood, double-hung windows had been replaced in the early 1970s with cheap aluminum windows. They leaked and condensed profusely.
Using historic photos and four original wood windows—inexplicably left in the 1972 project—as historic reference, all windows were replaced. New aluminum windows were thermally broken and energy efficient with historically appropriate profile and color.
Previous efforts installed Plexiglas storm windows over many of the 82 stained-glass windows—increasing, not preventing, deterioration. All stained-glass windows were removed in their original wood frames to be cleaned and releaded. Restored stained glass windows were reinstalled in thermally broken aluminum frames to hold insulated glass protection and the stained glass.
The stone foundation allowed water to regularly penetrate and was causing damage to county records. Portions of the foundation were excavated and bentonite waterproofing was installed to create a waterproof barrier and dry basement.
The atrium skylight dome might have been painted over in the 1960s because a Circuit Court judge thought too much light came in. The top and bottom of the glass panes were paint over, creating a dark hole at the top of the three-story atrium.
In the restoration, all 271 pieces of glass were removed, and laminated glass panes, with a pattern matching the original, were installed.
Jury Comments: “It’s a building we like. It’s really gorgeous. The mortar was taken out. They used clay mortar, the original material. So they tried to do it right. They had a lot of construction issues.”
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