Restoring the grandeur

CELINA - A Marion firm specializing in building restoration will return to Celina to resume cleaning the historic interior marble of the century-old Mercer County Courthouse, this time focusing their efforts on the first floor rotunda walls and north stair areas from the basement to the third floor.

The Mercer County Commissioners this week moved to award a $74,229 contract to Midstate Contractors Inc., the sole qualified vendor, to commence the third phase of marble cleaning in the courthouse.

Midstate had also been tapped by commissioners to complete the first two phases over the last few years.

The courthouse, financed with a $500,000 voter-approved bond issue, was described by The Daily Standard in September 1923 as a "veritable marble palace." The interior walls and floors consist of the finest marble that had been extracted in huge blocks from Vermont quarries and sliced into slabs.

The marble slabs are each about three-quarters of an inch thick, polished on the outside and rough on the back side. Each slab was numbered so workers could install them in sequence, according to courthouse historian Kip Wright.

As the years rolled by, the opulent marble was gradually marred by smoke and dirt.

"We used to have coal-fired boilers in the basement, and a lot of it was from that," county maintenance supervisor David Dorsten told the newspaper. "And there were gas lamps in the hallways years ago."

"A little bit of cigar smoke, maybe, too," commissioner Dave Buschur quipped.

EverGreene Painting Solutions Inc. was contracted in 2002 to undertake interior restoration of the courthouse, including limited marble cleaning, Dorsten recalled

"That was before our 75-year celebration, and it was just on the third floor, that stairway that goes up there where the chandelier is. It was kind of a test plot," Dorsten pointed out.

"We did a real little bit just to see what it was and get the procedures," said commissioners office administrator Kim Everman."

The plans fell by the wayside and, according to commissioner Rick Muhlenkamp, it became challenging to find a vendor capable of performing the specialized work.

"And then more important things came about, and the money wasn't available to do any cleaning, and we kind of got it revitalized here … in 2002," Dorsten said. "We've been doing a little bit ever since, so hopefully within a couple more years, we'll have it all done."

Everman said the cleaning process is labor-intensive.

"Mostly hand scrubbing," added Muhlenkamp. "They put up some high-intensity lights, and they can see where they've worked and where they've gone and what they've removed. Sometimes, it's more than one application."

Personnel will employ various cleaning procedures and apply a non-acidic liquid cleaner to restore the marble's original grandeur.

"Once it's done, you can clearly see the difference," Everman added.

During the first two


phases - together costing $57,987 - Midstate Contractors cleaned the first floor north entrance, north hallway, west entrance, south hallway, south entrance and east entrance.

"After we get done with this (phase three), we will have the first floor completely done," Dorsten said, noting it will probably take another two phases to complete the rest of the courthouse.

Forty-foot-tall Corinthian columns grace the four entrances of the gray Bedford limestone courthouse in the heart of downtown Celina. Its open interior is enhanced with large bronze doors (now faded from oxidation) and marble floors, walls and staircases.

Visitors can climb the ornate, winding staircase to view the rotunda below or look upward to see the stained-glass dome.

Black marble accentuates the main entrances and the grand staircase rail. Wright said a couple of hundred fossils can be seen in the black marble, among them a seashell and a baby shark tooth.

"We've done a pretty good job of maintaining it over the years. I mean, it's 100 years old," Dorsten said. "There's always work to be done. Externally with the masonry, there's areas that are going to need some attention. We had some of the upper portion cleaned here some years back. There's always stuff that's ongoing. When you've got a building that size, there's always maintenance costs."

In 2023, organizers hosted multiple events to mark the 100th anniversary of the courthouse, built in 1922 and dedicated on Labor Day of 1923. The anniversary culminated in September 2023 with a series of activities designed to inspire patriotism and local pride.

"Mercer County is a special place," county prosecutor and lead organizer Erin Minor said at the time. "If you've ever lived anywhere else you know why people say that. Our communities are safe. We come together when families are in times of need."

The courthouse, Minor said, stands as an impressive, enduring symbol of those values, as well as the strength, durability and permanence of Mercer County.