Employees for Restoration and Waterproofing Contractors Inc. build a windproof shelter to work on the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Mass., in this January file photo. A .5 million budget has been set for renovations to the courthouse.

After nearly 20 years on the job, Jackie Waggoner has unearthed a project that truly captures her devotion.

As purchasing director for the Douglas County Courthouse, Waggoner says her involvement in the renovation of the courthouse is unlike any project she’s tackled before.

“I’ve been here a long time, and this has become one of my favorite projects, and it’s a very interesting one,” she said. “It’s very different from any of the other projects I’ve done. This is an historical building, and we’re restoring it for many more years to come.”

One of the most historic buildings in Lawrence, the Douglas County Courthouse is scheduled to undergo significant restoration work well into 2011.

It’s one of several high-profile, historical buildings that are getting a face-lift to prepare them for future generations.

Strict guidelines

Built in 1904, the courthouse has accumulated a few weaknesses through the years. In 2004, during a cleaning project, workers stumbled onto some severe structural problems that couldn’t be neglected. Management halted that project, hired someone to run an assessment and assembled a preservation plan.

From that plan, Waggoner and others developed a schedule to address patching work and stone replacement. This year the goal is to alleviate immediate repairs.

As part of the renovation, sheet metal, roof, gutter and spout repairs have already been completed. Currently workers are toiling toward improving the chimney, the balcony and a clock tower. But the work has to be monitored to ensure historical elements are maintained.

“We follow historic guidelines when administering repairs,” Waggoner said. “In fact, the (Kansas State) Historical Society is heavily involved in the process. We go through them in terms of getting feedback, to make sure we’re retaining the historical value of the project.”

Though each stone can’t be copied exactly, workers try to replace old stones with similar ones.

“It’s not a 100 percent replica, but we try to match the original stones,” Waggoner said. “All of the stones aren’t being replaced, so aesthetically we want the stones to all blend together.”

Financing

The project’s budget is $2.5 million.

“Some of the projected numbers that we had for phase one ended up being considerably more than what we anticipated,” Waggoner said.

The exact amount to be appropriated hasn’t been determined yet. Much of the money for the project, however, has been raised.

“We applied for three different grants, and we have received one of the grants we applied for already,” Waggoner said.

Much of the money for the project is going to be financed through tax credits, which the courthouse qualifies for because of its historical significance.

“Even though we don’t pay taxes, we’re eligible for tax credits,” Waggoner said. “Once we get the tax credits, we will turn around and sell them to companies. We anticipate approximately $250,000 after selling the tax credits.”

Watkins repairs

Meanwhile, at the nearby Watkins Community Museum of History, Interim Director Mike Wildgen has a list of needed repairs but not enough funding.

“There’s a lot of work that could be done, but there’s no money to do it,” Wildgen said. “The biggest stumbling block is raising the money. Finding the money to operate has been a challenge, so we haven’t had a lot of extra capacity to do capital improvements. We want to operate and keep the doors open, so capital improvements have not been able to be high on the priority list.”

Douglas County provides the museum $140,000 each year. Aside from that, memberships, donations and profits from the gift shop go toward renovations. None of those things provide enough funding to allow significant improvements, Wildgen said.

The museum has been able to receive a few changes, though. A fire sprinkler system was installed last fall to protect the building’s interior and the material inside it.

“There was a lot of plumbing and alarm systems, that kind of thing,” Wildgen said. “You really don’t see it, per say. You’d have to look pretty hard. A lot of it was under the street. It’s certainly not the first thing you see when you walk in.”

The system cost around $100,000, but the museum still needs several enhancements, Wildgen said. Among those are an improved security system, new phone system, carpet, paint, wall repair and upgrades to the restrooms.

A ‘new building’

At least one place in Lawrence has already attained a complete renovation. Funded through private donations, Kansas University’s Danforth Chapel sustained $900,000 worth of improvements from March to September of 2007.

As part of the renovations, workers built a bride’s room and a new corridor to the east side of the chapel. The hallway enables the bride to walk from the bride’s room to the chapel’s front door without walking outdoors.

“They used to have to go to Fraser Hall and dress and walk across, and sometimes there would be bad weather,” said Warren Corman, university architect. “But we were able to add a really very nice bride’s room that is tastefully decorated, two toilets and a mechanical room with all new heating and air conditioning.”

Also, the student body invested money into improving the landscape surrounding the chapel. In addition, private funding allowed for the organ to be repaired, and new flooring and lighting to be installed.

During its 60-year existence, more than 5,000 weddings have taken place in Danforth Chapel. Corman said the renovations have paved the way for several thousand more.

“There really were a lot of changes made,” he said. “It’s almost like a new building.”