Mississippi County Courthouse Dome Replacement

Architect

Originally constructed in 1912, the iconic copper dome over the Mississippi County Courthouse in Osceola, Arkansas was beyond its useful life and required replacement.

After meticulous measurement and documentation, every effort was made to match the original ornamental detailing of the original dome. Upon study of how the copper had performed after over 100 years of use, improvements were made to lock seams and heavier weight copper was utilized where needed. With the dome repaired, and other improvements made to the building, this courthouse can now serve future generations for at least another one hundred years.

The scope of the Osceola project was to remove and replace all deteriorated copper elements of the copper dome including spheres, scrolls, cupola, and other various stamped elements. Approximately 14,000 pounds of 20-ounce copper was used on this project. As a registered National Historic Place, it was imperative that Renaissance work closely with the owner and architect to ensure all replacement elements adhered to historic requirements, architect drawings and current codes.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Committee also required approval of design elements of the restoration work. All copper elements were custom fabricated, using historic fabrication techniques to duplicate original dimensions based on original samples. Most of the copper required the crimped pattern. Samples of the fabricated parts were then reviewed and approved prior to production and subsequent installation.