Presidio County Courthouse of 1886 Details

Location: Marfa, TX

This project involved the rehabilitation and preservation of this historic courthouse located in Marfa, Texas to its 1886 condition through the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Historical Courthouse Preservation Program. The rehabilitation included the complete replacement of all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems.

One challenge posed to TGCE on this project was to illuminate the courtroom without compromising the original wood ceiling’s beauty or its integrity. The answer to this challenge was to conceal the lighting behind the ceiling’s wood beams so that there was illumination without visible lighting equipment.

Another challenge was to design and place HVAC components in areas designed and built when air conditioning did not exist without sacrificing valuable space or compromising the building’s historic aesthetics. In order to achieve this, the mechanical units were hung tight to the twelve-foot ceiling, in corner pavilion (storage) rooms.

The restoration of the Courthouse received an AIA Honor Award in 2002.