Lexington, Kentucky
Restoration
Sheet Metal Contractor
Steinrock Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc.Louisville, Kentucky
Architect
K. Norman Berry Associates Architects, PLLCLouisville, Kentucky
Consulting Architect
Patrick D. Murphy Co. Inc. Architects (Jean-Paul Grivas)Louisville, Kentucky
General Contractor
American Roofing & Metal Co.Louisville, Kentucky
The Fayette County Courthouse, built in 1898, exemplifies the Richardsonian Romanesque architecture which borrows from both the French and Spanish Romanesque characteristics. The building contains a traditional bell tower, capped by a substantial copper dome which was originally decorated with a massive galloping horse weathervane. The renovation molding around the cupola consisted of 653 hand cut, curved pieces. Each piece was then soldered and buffed out to produce an exact reproduction of the original ornate molding. The cupola itself was clad using soft copper in flat-locked panels to replicate the original construction. Another mold was made to reproduce 260 feet of the ornamental hip cap for the dome slate roof. Approximately 10,700 pounds of copper were used to complete the total restoration of this project.
Architectural Category: Exotic or Unusual Applications
