Restoration project underway at county’s historic courthouse  

SARASOTA COUNTY – Work has begun to restore Sarasota County’s Historic Courthouse, the 91-year-old landmark that houses the main office of the Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller.

In 2007, Sarasota County began the project to repair and restore the building. So far, repairs have been made to the roof and courthouse tower. Work is now in progress to restore the iron work, repaint the exterior and remove layers of exterior coatings that in some places has reached a thickness of nearly an inch.

The building is expected to remain open and fully available to the general public during construction. The clerk of the circuit court and county comptroller will be open normal business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, during the restoration. The Law and Order Café will also remain open normal business hours.

No impacts are expected to surrounding roads, courthouse parking or entrances, but every effort will be made to alert the public should impacts occur. Work to rehabilitate the exterior will require scaffolding, so visitors to the courthouse and those passing by on foot should use caution in the area.

The entire restoration is being funded through revenues collected specifically for court facilities capital improvement. It is expected to be completed by spring 2018.

In addition to housing the clerk’s main office, the courthouse is a popular spot for local history buffs and weddings because of its Spanish and Mediterranean revival architecture. Samuel Yellin, America’s most renowned metal worker and wrought iron artist, created many of the building’s decorative grills and railings that were shipped from his metal works shop in Philadelphia.

The courthouse also shares the distinction of featuring Yellin’s metal works with Yale University, Columbia University, Harvard University, the Vanderbilt residence, the J.P. Morgan residence and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

The Sarasota County Historic Courthouse is located at 2000 Main St., Sarasota.