Windows’ history a bit of a pane
Published 7:38 am Thursday, June 5, 2014
History and preservation are often celebrated, but sometimes they can take an unexpected turn.
Windows on he third floor of the Carter County Courthouse are original to the building. The county recently received grant funding to help with the cost of restoring those windows.
Such is the case with a plan to replace windows at the Carter County Courthouse.
In January, Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey applied for grant funding through the Tennessee Historical Commission to help with the cost of replacing all the windows on the front of the courthouse, facing the monument.
But during the course of working on the project, it was discovered the windows on the third floor of the courthouse are the original windows for the building.
The wing of the courthouse which contains the courtroom was constructed in the 1920s, and the building underwent a reconstruction project in the 1930s. Because the windows are original to the building, Humphrey said the Tennessee Historical Commission did not want the windows replaced, but rather restored.
According to Humphrey, the discovery that the original windows were still present in the building changed the focus of the project.
“To honor the request of the Historic Planning Commission, the scope of the project will be to restore the windows on the third floor and address the others as we can,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey reported to the Financial Management Committee on Wednesday that he had received word grant funding to assist with the project had been awarded from the state, but not in the amount the county was hoping for.
He said the Tennessee Historical Commission reported it have seen a significant increase in the number of grant requests this year, and has been forced to reduce the amounts of awarded grants.
The grant from the state is in the amount of $12,000 and is a 60/40 match, which means the county must contribute $8,000 at minimum to the project in order to receive the grant funds.
“It’s not a lot of money, but it’s a good start on the project,” he said. “With the reduced funding we are now committed to addressing just the windows on the third floor. That is where the greatest need is.”
Humphrey said the county will have to bid out the window restoration project.
