BOSTON -- A Boston landmark got a new name Wednesday.
NewsCenter 5's Anthony Everett said that the old Suffolk County Court will be known as the John Adams Courthouse -- named after the Massachusetts-born president who created the first independent judiciary.
But the old "gem"of a building is getting more than a new name -- it's getting a major face-lift.
It is one of Boston's most hidden monuments. Sandwiched between the Statehouse and Faneuil Hall, the old Suffolk County courthouse is tired and tattered. Over 100 years old, the building leaks, windows drip and everything needs a major face-lift.
"I think we often left our greatest monuments fall into disrepair," Chief Justice Margaret Marshall said.
But a $96 million project that will include renovation and new construction will soon preserve the building's majesty.
"The first thought on coming into this space was to realize how grand it is," Marshall said.
Lined by beautiful marble statues and capped with a dome of magnificent frescoes, the great hall presents big challenges for lead architect Maury Childs.
"One our great delights was to see what a wonderful pattern and intricate details there was in that ceiling," Childs said.
A before and after cleaning test done on several patches shows the frescoes -- which have darkened from cigarette smoke and coal burning heat -- can and will be brought back to their original glory.
"We also saw signs of damage. The ceiling is vaulted and in some cases showed signs of needing reinforcement," Childs said.
Examine each crack. Check every beam. Electrical work, code compliance -- the work list is endless.
"Until recently, some of the building was running on direct current, if you can believe it. The whole facility had been subject to, shall we say, deferred maintenance," Childs said.
The theme is now "Preserve what is. Build what's needed."
A new supreme judicial courtroom is being constructed right in an old light well in the middle of the building with beams supporting the roof of the new room threaded through the walls of the old structure.
"So the courtroom is going to be entirely new, all paneled with exotic rich red-color wood," Childs said.
It will be brought into the 21st century with the latest technology.
"I remember as a young lawyer that you couldn't plug in a slide projector because you might blow up the building," Marshall said.
The new "old" courthouse will house the Appeals Court, a social law library, reading rooms and interactive exhibits for people to learn about the courts.
It will preserve the original Supreme Court room presided over by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
The outside of the courthouse provides just as many challenges and glimpses into the past. Project director Steve Needham said that they've been able to trace the leaks to insufficient backing on the slate roof.
"It was horsehair mixed with cement, and as the slate deteriorated and cracked, the cement would crack and you could literally see daylight from inside to outside," Needham said.
Right now the project is on budget, but Needham said that the building didn't come with a lot of existing drawings so behind every wall there seems to be a surprise. But he likes the idea of preserving one of Boston's architectural gems and hopes further generations will do the same.
"We hope that someone 100 years from now will be doing a similar job to protect it and restore it to its original state," Needham said.
The restored building will house the SJC, the Appeals Court, the social law library and interactive exhibits. The project will be finished in 2004.
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