The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Salvaged brick to be incorporated into design
After instabilities in the old construction forced Gunnison County to abandon the renovation of the historic 1881 courthouse in favor of a much safer, and more affordable, tear-down and rebuild approach, the project’s architects have come up with a way to retain some of the characteristics and materials of the original building in Gunnison.
According to Matthew Birnie, county manager, the west façade of the 1881 building will be recreated using brick salvaged from the original construction. The interior of that wall will also incorporate the salvaged brick. The remaining exterior walls will incorporate modern masonry and glass and will be similar to early architecture drawings of the project’s new construction.
“There was a general consensus around one design approach presented,” said Birnie. “The architects will now proceed to develop the concept further.”
Demolition of the original courthouse is near completion, and new construction will likely begin next week, with a groundbreaking scheduled for Tuesday, April 22 at 4 p.m., said county staff.
The entire project is slated to take about 18 months and will cost the county about $15 million.
