Executive Summary

Tucker County

Front of Courthouse

 

            The Tucker County courthouse started construction in 1898 and was completed in 1900.  It was declared a historical landmark in 1984.  This is a beautiful and historically significant building, but it is difficult and expensive to adapt it to modern standards.  The iron stairways are impressive but do not comply with the life safety codes. The entrances to the building all require the public to traverse stairs in violation of accessibility laws.  The most cost effective approach would be to abandon the building and build a new courts building somewhere else, but the building’s historical value is worth preserving.  We recommend that this courthouse be restored and adapted to modern standards as much as possible while retaining the historic value.

 

            The courthouse sits on a stone foundation and has walls of brick and stone.  The walls have been painted at some time; however, the paint is now peeling and cracking.  It is recommended to repair the cracks in the exterior walls, repoint the mortar, and repaint the entire building. (It is very difficult to remove paint from brick and restore the original finish.)

 

            The roof of the building is pitched and covered in asphalt shingles, which were replaced around 1994.  There is no evidence of leaks.  The roof is eight years old asphalt shingles, which is probably not the roofing material originally on the building.  We recommend replacing the roof with a material that is similar to the original roofing material (slate?) and restore the ornamental work on the clock tower.

 

            The doors are typical aluminum store front used in commercial buildings and windows have been replaced with standard vinyl “replacement” windows.  These improvements are not in keeping with the quality of the rest of the building and detract from the historic value of the courthouse.  Even though the doors and windows are relatively new we recommend replacing them with historic reproductions of the originals.

 

            The courthouse has no fire alarm or sprinkler system.  The open iron stairs do not provide coded fire protection.  The pickets on the stairs are spaced too far apart.  Recommendations include:  New pickets will have to be installed in between the existing pickets to bring the stairs into compliance with current life safety codes; instead of enclosing both sets of stairs, we recommend enclosing the top of both stairs with a fire door and installing sprinkler system throughout the entire building and new fire alarm system. The sprinkler pipes and heads can be thoughtfully concealed within the historic context.  Sprinklers will go a long way towards making the building safer.  The Fire Marshal will have to approve any proposed renovation.

 

            There is noticeable structural damage to the courthouse including the cracks in the exterior wall.  Major cracking in the plaster is apparent on the interior of the courthouse.  The concrete floor of the basement is cracking, due to settlement.  The courtroom floor is sagging and needs reinforcement.  There is a doorway hole cut in a load-bearing wall that appears not to be adequately supported.  Recommendations include having a structural/geotechnical engineer evaluate the condition of the structure. If the structure is sound and there is no longer any movement, then repoint the brick and patch the plaster.  The courtroom floor should be reinforced.

 

            There are no security measures in place at the courthouse. We recommend the measures indicated in the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Security Report be carried out. Also, one entrance door should be made secure with a checkpoint and metal detector.  Other entrances should be outfitted with alarm panic hardware and only used in emergencies.  The desks in the courtroom should be outfitted with duress alarms and the judge’s bench should be outfitted with ballistic material.  A closed-circuit camera system and an alarm system with magnetic contacts should be installed.

 

            The interior lighting is fluorescent throughout the halls, offices and courtrooms.  The restrooms have some incandescent lights that are exposed.  The lights dim occasionally with excessive loading.  The breakers blow occasionally, they are loaded to their maximum capacity.  There are not enough receptacles in the building.  The kitchen needs to have a GFCI.  The communications system appears to be adequate, but the wires are unsightly throughout the building.  We recommend the courthouse electrical service be upgraded to meet the current demands.

 

            The heating system is in excellent condition.  The building has several window air conditioning units.  We recommend the installation of a central air conditioning system to improve efficiency. 

 

            An asbestos abatement program was completed in 1999 for both the courthouse and the old jail/sheriff’s residence.

 

            The Courthouse has flooded three times since 1985 this disrupts the functions of those offices located in the basement and sometimes the first floor.  The county is also renting space (3608 sq ft) across the street (341 2nd street) in the city hall for magistrate court.  We recommend demolishing the existing jail and building a new annex building attached to the existing courthouse.  The new annex (10,000 sq ft) should include a new accessible entrance, elevator, and accessible toilets.

 

            These renovations cost approximately $2,951,340.

 

 

Tucker Index Page