Prentiss County Courthouse Restoration

The Prentiss County Courthouse was constructed in 1925 with N.W. Overstreet as Architect, following a fire that devastated the previous 1904 courthouse. In the late 90’s the Mississippi Landmark building was in great need of restoration and was in danger of being vacated by the county. With the help of a Community Heritage Preservation Grant Program the county pursued the restoration project.

The exterior restoration consisted of masonry, existing wood windows, doors, cast stone, site work and roof restoration. The brick masonry restoration was challenging since the exterior walls are 3 wythes thick with an additional exterior veneer brick which had never been tied to the structure and had experienced considerable deflection and deterioration. Site work included pulling parking back from the entrance to regain “the courthouse lawn”, installing sidewalks and handicap access.

The interior restoration included removal of non-original partition walls and finishes, removal of inappropriate hollow metal arched opening enclosures and the restoration of the original plaster wall and ceiling finishes. The existing quarry tile floor was restored and repaired. New historically informed wood casework, millwork and light fixtures were incorporated. The courtroom balcony was reopened and a new paint scheme developed from original paint colors in the attic space. New electrical, plumbing, elevator and HVAC were sensitively incorporated.