Carefully selected building materials and architectural details help the addition( left-hand side of the photo) blend into the original structure. Representatives from Lincoln County, Ayres Associates, and the 9th Judicial District worked closely with the Wisconsin Historical Society before beginning the addition and remodeling project.
“ Working within the framework of a historical structure is tricky, but it was not going to be an option to say‘ no.’ The only option would have been to build a new structure,” she said.“ There was a strong sentiment for maintaining the historic building.”
The Wisconsin Historical Society had the ultimate authority on how the building could be updated. Ayres Associates, Byrnes, and the County worked closely with Society representatives, going through each potential solution to the space and security concerns and then negotiating each design option.
“ We looked at dozens of options, including having two additions to provide access to the two courtrooms,” Brown said.“ More acceptable was having one addition and remodeling the interior so the one addition could serve two courtrooms.”
Details of each option were presented for Wisconsin Historical Society review, with accompanying documentation of need. After more than a year of discussions, final plans took form, Simon said.“ Such detail and negotiation are challenging,” he said.“ It was, nevertheless, a great experience for our Building Committee and its experts and staff, and in the end I think we all appreciated all facets of historical renovation even more.”
The final plans resulted in an addition to the west side of the building – what Byrnes calls a“ vertical hallway” – to house a new jury room, mechanical room, elevator, and sally port, a secure entrance for law enforcement and their detainees. The addition mirrors the exterior of the historic building, said Ayres Associates architectural intern Steve Hoecherl, who worked side-by-side with Brown throughout the three building projects.
“ We included features such as the arches and architectural detailing to help the addition blend in with the exterior of the original building. We worked with the general contractor and their masons to find products that tied in with the original brick and stonework,” he said, commending Ellis Stone Construction Company’ s efforts throughout the project,“ and we ended up with products that worked very well.”
The interior remodeling involved even more care to
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