By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
A group dedicated to preserving the historic look of the Ellis County Courthouse is continuing its fundraising efforts.
The Ellis County Courthouse Preservation Committee is a grassroots organization formed in 2015 by a group of Ellis County residents in an effort to “preserve the central cornerstone structure of Ellis County.”
The courthouse was built in 1942 through the Depression-era program Works Progress Administration and has undergone a few minor remodels over the years — but never anything like the county undertook in 2015.
The latest remodel included removing the vestibule on the west side. It was added to the courthouse in the 1970s, but now that it is gone, it exposed years of deterioration to the limestone and granite caused by time and weather.
According to Committee Chairman Guy Windholz, the fundraising goal is $150,000, of which they have raised $49,315 through the end of last week.
The preservation committee’s goal is to raise the needed funds to restore the outside of the building, and the group is aiming to have the work complete by the 75th anniversary of the courthouse in its current location, May 2017. Ellis County will also celebrate its sesquicentennial – 150th anniversary – in 2017.
“We like to refer to it as a facelift,” said Windholz, “because over the course of 74 years, the weather has been detrimental to some of the limestone on the low parts.”
Contractors estimate it will take approximately two months to complete the work.
“We think we can get another 75 years out of it if we just put our hearts and minds together,” Windholz said.
The group already has paid to bring in the granite that will be used to replace the deck on the west side. The granite, which came from the same quarry as the original granite in 1942, will be cut down to the proper size in Ellis.
Tom and Therese Haas have donated all of the limestone needed for the project, according to Windholz.
Windholz said as the group continues its local fundraising efforts, it also has reached out to foundations that are sensitive to historic preservation.
The funds raised by the preservation committee are held by the Ellis County Historical Society, and the county approves expenditures. The group must raise the money before it can be spent on the project.
Several in-kind donations are expected to total more than the $150,000, including the donation of the limestone. The city of Hays redid the curb and guttering on Fort Street, the county has volunteered to help transport stone and provide labor, and concrete has been donated to rebuild a sidewalk.
Windholz said there have been a number of historic building in the county that have been lost but, because the courthouse is considered a “cornerpiece of the community,” it is critical to undertake the project.
“Inside, we have a magnificent interior look, but that doesn’t help if your outside doesn’t look,” he said.
To learn more about the preservation committee, visit the group’s Facebook page.
Tonight A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 10pm. Increasing clouds, with a low around 65. South southeast wind 13 to 17 mph.
