Photo Courtesy Fort Bend CountyThe process for the Fort Bend County Courthouse rehabilitation project started in mid-2011 when the county was awarded a nearly $300,000 grant from the Texas Historical Commission to help cover design costs. The George Foundation provided a $2 million grant, and the county provided the remaining $3.5 million.
Fort Bend County officials gathered Dec. 17 for the last Commissioners Court meeting of 2013 in the recently rehabilitated historic courthouse at 401 Jackson Street in Richmond. The $5.8 million rehabilitation project was funded through a partnership between the county, the Texas Historical Commission and local nonprofit organization The George Foundation, which provided a $2 million grant for the project.
"Several structural elements were reinforced or replaced," said Don Brady, director of facilities management and planning for Fort Bend County. "The historic courthouse is a much stronger facility inside and out."
Renovations included upgraded features, such as a new fire sprinkler system, new electrical and plumbing equipment, security monitoring and new roofing and window fixtures. Although the technology and amenities of the courthouse have been upgraded, the focus of the rehabilitation was to restore the structure to its historical appearance, Brady said.
"The 1935 addition was also preserved and restored to its original footprint and exterior and interior finishes," he said.
Construction to return the courthouse to its original 1909 appearance began in January. The process for the rehabilitation project, however, started in mid-2011 when the county was awarded a nearly $300,000 grant from the Texas Historical Commission to help cover design costs. The county provided the remaining $3.5 million.
Dallas-based Phoenix 1 Restoration and Construction Company conducted construction work and designs were provided by Bailey Architects, a Houston firm that was also involved in the $3 million renovation of the courthouse in 1980.
The courthouse—originally built in 1908 for $75,000—now features adequate office space for the county's judge, commissioners and staff along with new audio-visual technology that will allow Commissioners Court to be streamed live online.
Fort Bend County Commissioners Court will now take place on the second floor of the courthouse at 1 p.m. on the first, second and fourth Tuesday of the month.
