The stained glass dome in the courtroom of the Greene County courthouse was re-installed Nov. 4 with only one small mishap that resulted in minor damage to a small portion of the courtroom’s plaster ceiling. The dome was taken apart, cleaned and reassembled with no breakage of the 97-year-old stained glass.
County engineer Wade Weiss told the board of supervisors on Monday that he is “very happy” with the work done by the Stained Glass Store of Des Moines. He added to the good news that the invoice was $600 less than estimated. Cost was $30,400; the job was quoted at $31,000.
The cost to replace the backlighting of the dome was also less than originally budgeted. The savings in changing lighting schemes from what was first planned will be used to update other lighting in the courtroom.
Don Van Gilder of the secondary roads department chronicled the dome restoration with photos. He shares some of those photos with GreeneCountyNewsOnline. Click here for photos posted Oct. 29: Archive, courtroom dome
As the Stained Glass Store crew dismantled the dome, they painted numbers on the metal frame and labeled the sections of glass accordingly. They brought panels back to the courthouse numbered and ready to put back where they came from.
The first panel is back in place. Note the high bay fluorescent lights. They’re expected to last 25 to 30 years without replacement.
Halfway finished (Remember: Click on a picture to enlarge it on a new page)
Once all the panels were in place, the crew caulked the seams.
Van Gilder was surprised to learn there is clear glass in the dome. It is only in the last two decades that smoking has been banned in the courthouse. Over the years, smoke and grime had cast an amber hue on all the glass.
The dome in September, before restoration.
The dome in November, after restoration.
The supervisors have agreed to restore the large stained glass dome over the rotunda before the building’s centennial in 2017. The preliminary estimate for the job is $175,000. Wiess plans to prepare bid documents for the job because of the size of the job. The Stained Glass Store is one of the premier companies in the country for such work.
Rotunda dome, 2014
