County Council approves funds to “restore history” inside King County Courthouse

Project will refurbish historic windows and courtrooms; grand entrance restoration also funded through final design

Metropolitan King County Councilmembers Dow Constantine and Bob Ferguson announced today that an ongoing King County Courthouse window repair project will be expanded to include design and engineering work to allow the future removal of aluminum panels bolted to the sides of the building in an effort to “modernize” the Courthouse 40 years ago.

Combined with the proposed restoration of the Courthouse’s original 1916 south entrance on City Hall Park, the final result will be returning the 91-year-old landmark courthouse to a more dignified appearance—representing a new era in King County’s stewardship of historic places. The plan to restore the entrance, which the Council funded through the design development phase at their Dec. 17 meeting, was recently awarded first place and $800,000 in a state historic preservation grant contest.

“As stewards of historic landmark public buildings, we owe it to citizens to repair and restore these structures, fixing the damage done by time and past renovations,” said Constantine, Chair of the Capital Budget Committee. “Although King County’s budget constraints mean that this work can't be completed right away, these studies will provide a roadmap to the ultimate restoration of this public treasure.”

“Winston Churchill observed that we shape our buildings and afterwards they shape us,” said Ferguson, Chair of the Operating Budget Committee. “In the case of the courthouse, restoring the historic integrity of the building and bringing natural light to the courtrooms will humanize the pursuit of justice and reconnect the people who visit this most public building with the story of its past, which was shaped by our forefathers and continues to influence those of us who treasure this irreplaceable people’s building.”

The disastrous 1967 remodel of the Courthouse is blamed for damaging the historic fabric of the building, which is a designated King County Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure within the Pioneer Square Historic District. The remodeling process resulted in many windows being shuttered over, and ornate plaster ceilings and pendant lights covered with low-hung ceiling tiles and fluorescent lighting.

Public interest in the window replacement project has centered on restoring natural light to the courtrooms and achieving energy savings through the replacement of the non-insulated aluminum panels with historically-appropriate double-paned windows that match the Courthouse’s 1916 Second Renaissance Revival design. The project will calculate the approximate energy cost savings over time resulting from this work.

The window project was funded in the 4th quarter Capital Improvement Project supplemental budget that will be sent to the Executive for his review on December 21. The supplemental budget also allocated money for additional design work on the restoration of the historic grand south entrance to the courthouse. That entrance currently functions as a loading dock. The restoration of the Courthouse’s original entrance—which would open onto a restored City Hall Park—won the top prize earlier this year in a state grant competition for historic courthouse renovation projects.

“The funding for the King County Courthouse restoration approved in the supplemental budget makes it possible to accomplish a critical phase of the overall project,” said Lauren McCroskey, Chair of the King County Landmarks Commission . “By removing some of the aluminum panels and surrounding windows, and making interior courtrooms more energy efficient, the County is taking a dramatic step to return this noble building to its former grandeur.”

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system. Type in “2007-0631”