Historic 1895 Courthouse Service Upgrade
Electrical service upgrade for the 1895 Franklin County Courthouse in Hampton, Iowa, modernizing capacity and life safety while working around unknown existing conditions and preserving the historic structure.
The challenge
The toughest part of an 1895 courthouse is what you cannot see going in. We investigated as far as possible, but not everything could be known, and the building held surprises, including old foundation walls from a past structure in a location shown on no documents.
What we did
New conduit was routed through the concealed chases between the building's brick walls. Those runs sat in areas already covered by drywall, which gave us the room to route the upgraded service and distribution cleanly without disturbing the historic exterior.
A judgment call
One ceiling had to be replaced to open a clean path for the conduit. It needed replacing and upgrading anyway, so the routing decision and the building's own maintenance lined up well.
Project facts
- Built
- 1895
- Type
- Landmark courthouse
- Location
- Hampton, IA
- Scope
- Service & distribution upgrade
Scope delivered
- Upgraded service & distribution
- Conduit routed in brick-wall chases
- Preserved historic fabric
- Life-safety improvements
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