Masonry Magazine December 1997 Page. 26
Bridging the Old with the New
How One Indiana Town Combined New Masonry Construction, and Historic Preservation to Rejuvenate Courthouse Square Both Physically and Economically
Across the United States historic municipal structures, no longer of adequate size to house city and county government, are being replaced by larger, more modern facilities. Many of these communities are feeling the push and pull that results from their need for increased office space and their desire to retain the area's historic integrity.
In the late 1980s and early '90s, Noblesville, Indiana, the governmental seat of Hamilton County, was faced with just such a dilemma. What had been a mainly agricultural county just north of Indianapolis was evolving into the fastest growing county in the state. Anticipating rapid change, officials began plans in 1989 to create a new Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center that would accommodate the projected growth.
In the tradition of many county seats in Indiana, the existing Hamilton County Courthouse is the focal point of Noblesville's historic town square. Capped with a mansard roof and black wrought iron widow's walk fencing, the circa 1877, red, brick courthouse sits proudly center stage amid dozens of brick and wood frame Victorian-styled buildings.
Noblesville's courthouse square, like thousands of other "Main Streets" across the country, was hit hard in the '80s by profound changes in the nation's commercial and retail.
26 MASONRY-NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1997