Photo courtesy Josh Cotton Shown is the work that is being done in the Warren County Courthouse’s Main Courtroom.

The main courtroom in the Warren County Courthouse has been ruled out of order – though only between the hours of 3 and 11 p.m.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., court remains in session during a restoration project in the courtroom as workers address long-standing damage to the ceiling caused by years of water intrusion.

Since March 17, the team from Buffalo Architectural Casting has been working diligently to repair plaster damage and peeling paint in the historic space. The project follows a major 2019 effort to restore the exterior architectural elements of the courthouse, including wooden and metal components above the roofline and critical repairs to the slate roof.

“For many years, leaks in the slate roof allowed water into the building and onto the ceiling of the Main Courtroom,” said Josh Cotton, the county’s grant writer. “With the roof issues resolved several years ago, this project will restore the damage caused over the years by those leaks.”

Funding for the project has been made possible by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which is being matched dollar-for-dollar by county general funding. Cotton said the contractor expects the restoration to take approximately 60 days to complete. Despite the construction, the courtroom continues to serve its original purpose.

“From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, the space is a courtroom. From 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., it’s a work zone,” Cotton said. “The communication and collaboration that has been needed to facilitate that schedule has been great and highlights the degree to which we all want to see this historic space restored.”

The courtroom also houses portraits of each of Warren County’s president judges.

“Those paintings are being stored in a secure place in the courthouse while this work is being completed,” Cotton explained.

While the restoration will return much of the room to its original glory, a unique and somber piece of history will remain untouched — the bullet holes from the 1954 assassination of Judge Allison Wade will be preserved as part of the courtroom’s historical narrative.

The oldest portion of the courthouse, where the Main Courtroom is located, was completed in 1877 and has held a place on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976.

As restoration efforts continue, the project not only addresses critical repairs but also honors the heritage of a structure that has stood at the heart of Warren County for nearly 150 years.