SCOPE OF WORK: The Madison County Courthouse, completed in 1858, was in need of extensive interior and exterior repairs and upgrades. This courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and is one of a dwindling number of skillful examples of Greek Revival architecture in the Southeastern United States.
Paramount Construction Group provided restoration of interior plaster, drywall, and flooring, as well as interior painting. Molding was special-ordered from a New Orleans plaster company to match the original molding that needed to be replaced/repaired.
The exterior portion of the renovation involved cleaning and “repointing” (replacing missing mortar) the brick façade of the courthouse. The current red, wire-cut brick replaced an exterior layer of stucco and brick in 1925, when C.H. Lindsley was the architect for a major rehabilitation. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History provided stringent instructions involving a specialized cleaning agent, and low-pressure “soft washing” to clean the exterior surfaces. Extensive point tucking was required with specialized restoration mortar.
The roof was replaced, and the parapet wall was modified to look like the monolithic original design. Rainwater drains that originally ran through the building were redirected to downspouts that were added and tied-in to street drains. The courthouse remained operational and occupied while the renovation took place.