After more than a century without a substantial renovation, Old Suffolk County Courthouse, designed in Neo-Classical style by Boston's first city architect, George Clough, was overdue for a facelift.
![]() |
Smothered by decades of coal dust, smoke, and pollutants, the ornate, gilded ceiling of the Great Hall at Boston’s Old Suffolk County Courthouse was carefully restored in a $117 million renovation. The courthouse was renamed John Adams Courthouse following the 43-month project. PHOTO: JONATHAN HILLYER PHOTOGRAPHY |
Enter the makeover team: Boston-based architects Childs, Bertman, Tseckares and general contractors Suffolk Construction/NER Construction Management. Their patient: a courthouse built between 1886 and 1894 and nowhere close to being ADA-compliant, too small to handle the needs of the Massachusetts High Courts, and sporting woefully out-of-date electrical, HVAC, and communications systems.
The team's efforts focused heavily on preservation and restoration because the courthouse was listed on the state and national historic registers, which meant that simple matters had to be addressed in smarter ways. After more than 100 years, its space needs had changed, not only for its judicial function, but also to accommodate security systems and automobile parking. Ordinarily, the solution would have been to loosen the girdle and letting the building expand. But here, the team had to find a way to add square feet within the parameters of the courthouse's original footprint—effectively plumping up the building while still managing to fit it into last season's pants.
To accomplish that goal, the Building Team headed for the light wells. Outdated since the advent of modern lighting systems, parts of the courthouse's two largest wells were converted into 50,000 square feet of usable space for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the state Social Law Library.
Meanwhile, new underground parking was inserted into the building's lowest level, giving the state's highest judicial members direct access from their cars to their chambers. The team also moved most major court functions to the second and third floors and reorganized the entry level to celebrate the Great Hall, a soaring four-story public space.
The Great Hall was also a major focus of the team's renovation efforts. Architectural details that were smothered by decades of coal dust, smoke, and pollutants were cleaned inch by inch, as was the decorative ceiling with its intricate, gilded floral abstract pattern bordered by arches and columns decorated with rosettes, egg and dart borders, and classical figures cast in plaster. Damaged areas were infill-painted using reversible materials, saving as much of the original art as possible.
Courtrooms were also heavily renovated. Drop ceilings from the 1960s were removed to reveal original plaster moldings. For the wall and woodwork restoration, the team turned to old photographs that documented original vibrant paint schemes, Victorian stencil work, and light-colored, lustrous wood finish. Modern, efficient versions of historic lamps and lighting fixtures completed the transformation.
When the dust settled and the nipping and tucking was finished, the now-344,285-sf courthouse was so transformed that officials decided it needed a new name. The Old Suffolk County Courthouse was reborn as the John Adams Courthouse.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Arup, SOM top BD+C's ranking of the country's largest mixed-use design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 Mixed-Use Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
10% of world's skyscraper construction on hold
Emporis, the largest provider of global building data worldwide, reported that 8.7% of all skyscrapers listed as "under construction" in its database had been put on hold. Most of these projects have been halted in the second half of 2008. According to Emporis statistics, the United States had been hit the worst: at the beginning of 2008, "Met 3" in Miami was the only U.S. skyscraper listed as being "on hold". In the second half of the year, 19 projects followed suit.
| Aug 11, 2010
Structure Tone, Turner among the nation's busiest reconstruction contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 Reconstruction Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
IFMA workplace study: Average space per employee up 40 sf since 2007, likely due to corporate layoffs
The International Facility Management Association has released “Operations and Maintenance Benchmarks, Research Report #32,” a study outlining the facility trends affecting workplaces throughout North America. Among the new report’s findings are that the average space per person has risen nearly 40 square feet since 2007, likely due to recent corporate layoffs.
| Aug 11, 2010
'Too cold' and 'too hot' most common complaints among office workers, says IFMA study
The International Facility Management Association has released “Temperature Wars: Savings vs. Comfort,” a new study that takes an in-depth look at the most common thermal complaints made by workers and the variety of ways facility professionals respond to them.For many years, IFMA has surveyed facility professionals to learn the top office complaints among employees.
| Aug 11, 2010
Best AEC Firms of 2011/12
Later this year, we will launch Best AEC Firms 2012. We’re looking for firms that create truly positive workplaces for their AEC professionals and support staff. Keep an eye on this page for entry information. +
| Aug 11, 2010
Clark Group, Mortenson among nation's busiest state/local government contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 40 State/Local Government Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
| Aug 11, 2010
PSA-Dewberry designing new Baltimore youth detention center
A consulting team led by PSA-Dewberry has been selected by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to design the new Baltimore Youth Detention Center in downtown Baltimore, Md. The $80-million facility will accommodate youths who have been criminally charged as adults, and will enable the state to increase its educational, counseling, and healthcare services for youth offenders.