1899 Northampton County Courthouse Renovation & Addition

Project Details

Project Description

Northampton County needed a complete renovation of their Historical 1899 Courthouse and their adjacent Administration Building. The County government was housed in four independent structures. This project entailed combining the four buildings (approximately 15,200 sf) into one cohesive building to integrate the nine different government departments. To assist with this solution, DJG designed two new additions, and redesigned the interior spaces to allow for better circulation between the buildings.
Williamsburg-based designer, DJG, Inc was able to repurpose the 113 year old Courthouse to a modern 21st Century government complex. The County had performed a study that suggested they would require twice the current available square footage to house nine departments. DJG’s design was able to incorporate all the existing departments in the current buildings—even adding an extra department—with less than a 30% increase in building square footage. This was accomplished by renovating the Historic Courthouse and adding 4,100 sf space to the existing Administration Building.
This project involved bringing the historical building up to current building codes as well as restoring its original architecture, in both the interior and exterior. The former clerk's room, jury room, lobby, stairs and hallway were preserved; while the courtroom was adapted for a new Board of Supervisors meeting room. The US Department of Energy provided the County with a $150,000 grant that was used to replace the numerous HVAC systems that were scattered throughout the four buildings with a new geothermal heating and cooling system. The lighting system in the Courthouse was replaced with historically sensitive fixtures for the era and the remaining building received energy efficient lighting with occupancy sensors. During DJG’s field investigation, the team discovered original heart pine floors buried under numerous layers of vinyl flooring. The existing heart pine floors were restored and additional reclaimed heart pine flooring was installed throughout the hallway. This project was completed under budget at $3.1 million and two weeks ahead of schedule in September 2011.