Local Government Renovation Work Complete at Manatee County Historic Courthouse

MANATEE COUNTY – The last of the black and yellow skirt shrouding the historic Manatee County Courthouse was removed earlier this month, capping a 15-month renovation project that brought structural and aesthetic improvements to the 100-year-old building.

The energy improvements have slashed energy costs at the 100-year-old building more than 50 percent: from between $14,000-$17,000 three years ago to $6,000-$7,500 per month.

The 15-month project involved replacing the building's roof, windows, parapet and cornice and parts of its trademark brick facade. The improvements have already paid dividends in the form of energy efficiencies. The building renovation involved:

• Replacing single-glazed aluminum windows with new insulated UV-protected and impact-resistant windows. New window frames were also installed to mirror the original design of the building. Window replacements have resulted in energy credits from FP&L on the west side of the building;

• Installing new parapets and cornices. The building was cloaked with black and yellow skirt in order to carefully remove the original deteriorated cornice, section by section. The last of the cloak was removed in June. The last of the scaffolding came down in early July;

• Replacing the roof with a new membrane roof, earning Manatee County an additional credit from FP&L;

• The exterior brick facade received tuckpointing to replace aging mortar joints. Several broken and areas of missing original brick were replaced in the process, resulting in a uniform brick exterior. These improvements made the building more water resistant.

Photos by Dennis Maley, The Bradenton Times

”I couldn’t be more pleased with the renovations to our building,“ said R.B. ”Chips“ Shore, Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller. ”I appreciate the diligence and dedication of Manatee County’s Property Management Department, and Frank Monhart in particular, for taking architectural and fiscal prudence in restoring the courthouse. The building is more energy efficient, safer and quite frankly, more beautiful than ever.“

Monhart, the project manager and a licensed architect familiar with historic projects, worked closely with Shore and the City of Bradenton Architecture Review Board to restore much of the building’s original character while installing energy improvements in modern enhancements that should extend the life of the building another 80 years.

"The building was designated a historic structure, and you're obliged to keep a historic structure intact," Monhart said. "We also had an opportunity to upgrade the building from an operational standpoint, in terms of energy efficiency and thereby, extend the life of this county centerpiece of architecture."

From window installers, masons, roofers, scaffolding and demo crews and a temporary elevator team, Monhart estimated the job employed nearly 80 local workers throughout the project.

In addition to the past year’s renovations, the building received several other upgrades in recent years. In 2009, the county used a $1.2 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to replace all air conditioning equipment resulting in lower utility costs throughout the building. The grant also was used to connect the new Judicial Center’s chilled water lines with the Historic Courthouse cooling equipment, resulting in some of the greatest energy savings at the Courthouse.

Inside the Courthouse, 1,602 light bulbs and 1,177 ballasts, along with a number of sockets and lamps, were replaced with energy saving components.

For more information on Manatee County Government, visit online at www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501.