Henry County Courthouse

Henry County Court House 

Our work with the Henry County Courthouse began in 1973. Commissioners Harold Rohrs and County Civil Defense Coordinator Bob Hinkel invited W.R. Meyers Co. to check out some of the challenges the courthouse clock tower was facing. The first step was doing a house-cleaning to just establish was was rotten or unstable. In 1976 Tom Lenhart, a structural engineer from Toledo, joined us to provide insights for the replacement of rusted and deteriorated stiffening members due to the pigeon debris. The metalwork was porous with rust holes and leaking through the rest of the building. As that process gained momentum a lot of the areas of metalwork of the courthouse began to look like lace. 

From this point on the commissioners would bring back W.R.Meyers Co to continue maintenance and repairs. Constant patching and sheetmetal repairs kept things together on the building until Bob Gaede, Cleveland architect, joined the project in 1995 to commenced a full renovation. The first step was establishing a report with the community to build momentum behind this large-scale renovation. The project started by beginning work on the adjacent jail. Through local newspaper stories, momentum was built to renovate the jail with roofing, new sheetmetal and new slate to completely stop leaks and degradation of the structure. With great results on the jail project we had the community support to continue the efforts on the courthouse. 

With this existing momentum a levy was passed with an astounding 70% of the community’s support. All new mechanical and electrical, as well as a total renovation of interior architecture. The steeple and exterior stonework was stabilized and all lead based paint was removed throughout the upper parts of the structure. New roofing, including drainage and water management helped to protect the changes that were made in the building. 

Since completing this project we’ve re-done the exterior masonry of the jail and courthouse and painting 2 of the 4 sides. In 2018 the steps on the west, south, and north sides were rebuilt and ventilated.