Benton County, Indiana

County Government Center

The original Benton County courthouse was built in 1874. There had been little done to the interior or exterior of the building. The county government was out of room and had to do something. The addition consist of approximately 8,000 sq.ft. The addition includes a new commissioners meeting room, ADA restrooms on each floor, a new elevator, relocated surveyors office on the 1st floor, and relocated clerks office on the third floor. The new brick matched the existing masonry perfectly.

 

The entrance from the addition into the old building (right) preserved the limestone archway. The entrance from the new lobby intro the new addition offices (left) is made of oak stained to match the existing building. The new central entrance provided a point of transition between the old and new. The 2-1/2 story glass entrance includes a 1-1/2 story lobby. The new entrance is made grand with the used of 2 GFRC columns. The 1st floor of the addition is actually the basement of the existing building. Due to the topography of the site on the courthouse square, the new addition use able to have the 1st floor at grade, which made ADA access to both buildings. The relocation of the clerk on the third floor was to have more access to the court. The existing courtroom entrance (top middle) was preserved, but a metal detector was added to the operable door.

 

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