Pontotoc County Chancery Buildings

During exterior restoration of the Pontotoc County Courthouse the County Board of Supervisors recognized the need to expand the functions of the courthouse, without destroying the character of the courthouse or relocating from the historic court square.  Belinda Stewart Architects worked with the County to identify three vacant downtown buildings to house the Chancery Offices, Boardroom, Chancery Court and Vault.  The buildings former uses ranged from a garage, casket storage and most recently an antique mall. The buildings shells were in fair condition including the existing suspended awning covering two of the storefronts. The canopy retained its original tin-pan ceiling and trim. The exterior building masonry and stucco were cleaned, tuck pointed and damaged stucco was replaced. New wood and glass storefronts and doors were added and the existing sidewalks and lighting were renovated. The glass storefronts were incorporated into the program to display local work by artists. At the interior, great effort was taken to retain the open feel of the building plan while designing the spaces to highlight the exposed wood columns, beams and skylights. New mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were installed as part of this restoration/rehabilitation.  The rehabilitation of these buildings has provided a dramatic new face to the court square while providing the needed expansion of the modern courthouse.