Images courtesy of author
Opposite page, top: Renovated courtroom.
Opposite page, bottom: Architectural
rendering of Yavapai County Courthouse.
This page: Yavapai County Courthouse.
conditioning systems with no outside air.
The electrical system and backup
generator in the basement were out-ofcode.
The new HVAC system uses LG Minisplits concealed on the roof behind the
parapet. The variable refrigerant flow and
CO2-activated fresh air system have
radically improved comfort and efficiency.
Only three percent of buildings in the
United States have this energy saving
configuration. The original roof, which had
never been insulated, was removed. A new
metal roof was installed to match the
original and has an R-48 rating. Tiglas
Engineering
Associates,
Haines
Engineering, and Otwell Associates
Architects designed this portion. The
contractor was Bowen Construction.
Phase three was the restoration of the
exterior and interior of the original
courtroom. The most difficult task was the
stabilization and lifting of the granite
staircases on all four sides of the building.
During original construction, a full
basement was excavated. The stairways
were laid on shallow footings on
uncompacted fill and settled over time.
Helical coils and pressure grouting were
used to stabilize the stairs, and concrete
stringer beams were repaired. The original
courtroom was restored with improved
acoustics.
The exterior granite was cleaned and
the terra cotta was re-glazed with a new
product. The original chimneys were
reconstructed.
Otwell Associates
Architects, Sterling Madison Lofquist, and
Frost Structural Engineering designed this
www.arizcc.com
final phase.
Concord Construction
completed the work along with Arizona
Repair Masons.
The Yavapai County Board of
Supervisors and court system were very
accommodating during the entire process.
At the 2015 Arizona State Preservation
Conference in June, the Board received the
Governor’s Heritage Preservation Award
for the project. This effort by Yavapai
County keeps the courts downtown and
preserves the continued use of an
important building in Arizona history.
The only question left to answer is
what the time capsule buried in the
cornerstone will contain?
Arizona contractor & community