Governing Through the Ages
Like many small Midwestern towns, one of the stateliest and architecturally ornate buildings in the western Wyoming town of Newcastle is the county courthouse.
Serving Weston County, this building has been the seat of the municipal government since it opened with great fanfare in 1911, including an address from sitting President William Howard Taft. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. But while the beautiful pediment, cupola and columns continue to stand the test of time, the building has suffered damage and undergone realignment in recent years, requiring improvements to the MEP systems serving these areas.
Unfortunately, a plumbing leak on the second floor caused damage below. West Plains Engineering worked with Hein|Bond Architects to remodel two rooms in the basement and first floors to repair the damage and get those spaces back online.
Our team later went in for an additional electrical renovation on the second floor, converting a library into a judge’s chambers, and a counsel room into smaller spaces for support staff. The renovations included new lighting, receptacles and raceways/rough ins for IT, as well as A/V and security cabling.
In any other building type, this design scope would have been considered minimal, possibly even routine. However, given the historic designation of the structure, additional time, attention, and coordination had to be invested to assure any modifications respected the original space.