Masonry Magazine December 1997 Page. 28
The town's square saw improvements. As concrete sidewalks replaced the damaged "star brick" walkways in residential neighborhoods, Noblesville stock-piled the salvageable, historic "star brick" for re-use in Streetscape. Victorian era street lamps and wrought iron pedestrian benches were placed throughout downtown completing a "streetscape" that would go on to win the Design of Downtown Public Improvement Award from Indiana Main Street in 1991.
Streetscape was an excellent beginning to revitalizing downtown, but a major key to economic revitalization came with the retention of the county's government and judicial offices.
Instead of relocating the new Judicial Center outside of downtown where design and construction may have been more simple and convenient, Rowland says the Hamilton County Commissioners made the difficult decision to remain downtown on the west side of the existing courthouse. James & Associates of Indianapolis was hired to design the Judicial Center, and lead architect Joseph Mrak recalls initial meetings with county officials who clearly wanted to retain the historical 1877 Courthouse as the "jewel" of downtown Noblesville. Restoration plans were already in the works for the historic structure upon completion of the new Judicial Center.
"We knew that our design for the new Judicial Center had to play 'second fiddle' to the historic court house," Mrak says. But with the county's need for an immense amount of square footage, designing a structure that didn't dwarf every other building on the courthouse square was going to be a challenge. Mrak and his team began by surveying downtown Noblesville for common denominators in architectural scale, materials, and decorative embellishments. In so doing, they set limits for the new building that were sensitive to the historic area surrounding it. The new Judicial Center would be no taller than three stories above ground level; the exterior would be of brick and limestone masonry construction; the facade would be segmented replicating the smaller storefront facades around the square; columns, triangular pediments, and arched windows would be utilized; and measures would be taken to mask the enormity of the building.
Today, the Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center stands as a testament to the historic sensitivity of its designers, but make no mistake it is a modern facility. It is comprised of more than 200,000 square feet with five stories, three of which are above ground and two below. Maroon brick and burgundy-tinted mortar chosen for the exterior finish of the building blend well with existing buildings around the square. Two-foot recesses in the building's overall facade give the impression that each segment stands alone and provides the building with a less obtrusive presence. A curved, 2-story entrance colonnade brings the building to a more "human" scale; and solid, limestone cantilevered cornices atop the building seem to tie it more closely to the earth. Construction was completed June 28, 1992, and occupants moved in soon after.
In September 1992, county officials followed through with their plans to restore the 1877 Hamilton County Courthouse. Per restoration plans set forth by Ratio Architects in Indianapolis, masons began intensive reconstruction of the mixed brick, sandstone, and limestone walls of the historic building. As a result of sandblasting in 1951, the bricks were badly damaged. Masons removed the entire first "wythe," outer thickness, of brick and replaced it with new brick laid in a running bond with concave mortar joints replicating the original construction.
Although the sandstone and limestone faired better under the sandblaster's pressure, masons replaced "spalling" stones with new stones and repaired others using anchors, dowels, or bolts. Masons retained as much original stone as possible, and with repairs complete the stone was cleaned using a combination of safe, mild chemicals and a low-pressure misting spray. The masonry aspect of this building's restoration was but a small portion of the entire restoration project which was complete in 1994 and won Indiana Main Street's Historic Rehabilitation Project award the same year.
While Hamilton County was busy restoring its historic courthouse, the City of Noblesville had a historic preservation/new construction project of its own underway. In its search for new public safety facilities, the city had purchased the vacant Noblesville Post Office (circa. 1931) standing just one block off the courthouse square. "Too many times, these public buildings are abandoned and leave eye sores. Instead, they should be snatched up for re-use," says Rowland of the purchase.
RQAW Consulting Engineers & Architects of Indianapolis, once again led by Joseph Mrak, set forth to design two public safety facilities for Continued on page 30
For Mason's Hydrated Lime...
Contractors and Architects Rely on MIRACLE MORTA-LOK® Type "S" hydrated mason's lime Outstanding workability saves time and money A unique combination of strength and elasticity Meets all national specifications (ASTM, UBC, BOCA, SBCC) Available nationwide ROCKWELL lime compary 4110 Rockwood Road Manitowoc, WI 54220 Phone: 1-800-568-7711