Article published August 12, 2007
Texans find value in restoring historic courthouses
Renovations can save cash, fuel heritage tourism
The Victoria County, Texas,
Courthouse, built in 1892, was
renovated in 2001. Since 1999, the
Lone Star State has invested $145
million to restore 64 courthouses.
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By JOSHUA BOAK
BLADE POLITICS WRITER
Upon hearing that Seneca County plans to demolish its 1884 county courthouse, the director of Texas’ courthouse renovation program offered to fly to Ohio.
“They’re confused about the issues,” Stan Graves said. “The key issue is what is the vision for the community. And if that vision is to tear down that landmark — the centerpiece of their community — then I think they have no long-term vision.”
Texans have a distinct reason for caring about the Seneca County Courthouse. It shares an architect, Elijah Myers, with their state capitol.
At an estimated $8.9 million to restore the Seneca County Courthouse, the board of commissioners views the cost as prohibitive. Each resident would need to pay $155, without assistance from any state, federal, or private grants.
But the federal government, state agencies, and architects have found value in sparing historic buildings from the wrecking ball, both in terms of saving dollars and generating them.
Since 1999, the Lone Star State has invested $145 million to restore 64 county courthouses. A project started when George W. Bush was Texas governor, the Texas Legislature recently allotted an additional $60 million to the program for the next two years. Indiana, Minnesota, and Oklahoma are exploring similar programs.
Restoring the courthouse in Tiffin would require an estimated $8.9 million. Commissioners view the cost as prohibitive.
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THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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“The state of Texas concluded that these courthouses, cathedrals of the prairie and cathedrals of democracy, are cheaper to renovate and preserve than just simply tearing them down,” said John Nau, chairman of the Texas Historical Commission, which oversees the courthouse program.
Mr. Nau recalled the renovation of one courthouse, where an ad-hoc ceiling installed in the 1950s covered a grand courtroom balcony. The renovation opened up the balcony, which contained wire rims on the back of chairs for cowboy hats.
“The balcony sat there for 50 years in a state of nonuse preservation,” Mr. Nau said. “You can imagine the judge telling the boys to take their hats off.”
A picture of history
That picture of history is what motivates Mr. Nau, a self-described warehouse of useless trivia. As the founder and chairman of Silver Eagle Distributors, one of the nation’s largest movers of Budweiser, Mr. Nau, 61, also sees a marketing opportunity.
The courthouses create centers for heritage tourism. By Mr. Nau’s count, heritage tourists spend $27 to $29 more a day than recreational tourists.
After Mr. Bush left the Texas governor’s mansion for the White House, Mr. Nau became chairman of the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
Under a 2003 executive order, President Bush created “Preserve America,” a multiagency initiative budgeted to provide up to $5 million a year in grants for renovating historical buildings. Individual federal grants range from $20,000 to $150,000 with an emphasis on economic development.
An economic boost
Heritage tourism has been promising thus far in Arkansas, a state best-known nationally as Bill Clinton’s old stomping grounds. A study last year by Rutgers University in New Jersey found that heritage tourism alone contributed $890.6 million and 21,553 jobs to the Arkansas economy.
Texans have a distinct reason for caring about the fate of the Seneca County Courthouse in Tiffin. It shares an architect, Philadelphia-born Elijah Myers, with their state capitol in Austin.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Marian Boyd, assistant director of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, said older buildings endow a town with a distinct appearance when chain stores are squeezing the individuality out of communities.
“A lot of the buildings built today are ones no one will care about preserving 50 years from today,” she said.
The battle over Seneca County’s Beaux Arts-style courthouse occurs at an economic crossroads. Tiffin, the county seat, still has Heidelberg College and Tiffin University, but high levels of uncertainty exist because of the continued decline in manufacturing jobs.
As a result, there is a perception of courthouse restoration as a drain on already limited incomes. Although houses are more affordable in Seneca County than the rest of the country, incomes are below the national average, according to the Census Bureau.
Bucking a trend
In 2002, voters rejected a quarter-percent sales tax increase to pay for renovations of the courthouse. Tiffin preservationists say the tax request came at a bad time — following the economic uncertainties after Sept. 11, 2001, and at the same time several local school districts were seeking higher taxes.
Empty for three years, the Seneca County Courthouse is portrayed by local officials as a drag on downtown revitalization.
Rich Focht, president and chief executive officer of the Seneca Industrial and Economic Development Corp., spoke in favor last week of demolishing the courthouse because if it stays vacant, there are “limited opportunities for development” in downtown Tiffin.
And yet Seneca County’s draw to outsiders is its legacy. “Escape to the heartland where history sparkles,” teases the Web site of the Seneca County Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Tiffin preservationists say Mr. Focht’s view and the view of other local officials that the courthouse needs to come down so the county can focus on economic development is not only wrong but against the trend in so many other communities.
“Logic dictates you don’t want to tear down the heart of your downtown historic district,” said Doug Collar, spokesman for Save Our Courthouse.
“We’ve been told that grants for historic preservation for our downtown would be dealt a severe blow if our historic courthouse is demolished,” Mr. Collar said Friday. “Who’s going to invest money in our historic downtown when the demolition of the courthouse tells people that Tiffin is not interested in historic preservation?”
Taking the long view
Jack Pyburn, an Atlanta-based preservationist architect, said governments should weigh long-term opportunities when deciding the fate of historic buildings. Having worked on more than 30 historic courthouse projects, he said the choice often comes down to willpower instead of funding.
“The quality of the construction is far superior to anything you have today,” Mr. Pyburn said. “The material and systems have lasted for 70 years instead of the materials today that last for 15 to 20 years.”
Mr. Pyburn’s opinion that long-term savings balance short-term costs is not universally agreed upon by architects.
Chuck Oraftik, a San Franciso-based architect, wrote a 2004 article in Courts Today, a trade publication, about the problems posed by historic courthouses.
“These were not designed for today’s extensive and changing court technologies, high-volume operations, modern building codes [energy, disabled access, sprinklers, etc.], or security needs,” Mr. Oraftik wrote.
Even so, Mr. Oraftik said his argument is no justification for tearing down a historic courthouse. He noted that the craftsmanship and artistry of the building cannot be duplicated by contemporary construction practices.
“It’s like an endangered species,” Mr. Oraftik said. “Once they’re gone, they’re extinct.”
Contact Joshua Boak at:jboak@theblade.comor 419-724-6728.
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