One historic preservation project after another has led to a Cinderella-like transformation of downtown Newark into a gem among destinations for local residents and tourists alike.
An acknowledgment of the work done to improve Courthouse Square and preserve the historic buildings around the 150-year-old Licking County Courthouse will come on Friday, Nov. 6, when the Ohio History Connection’s 2026 State Historic Preservation Office Awards are announced in Columbus.
The projects to restore the ornate West Courtroom in the courthouse and the Louis Sullivan Building across 3rd Street from the courthouse will be honored with the same award given a year earlier to recognize the restoration of the historic Newark Arcade, which also fronts on 3rd Street.
“Newark is such a great preservation success story,” said State Historic Preservation Officer Diana Welling, who oversees the State Historic Preservation Office. In fact, it so impressed the folks in her office that they held their annual retreat in Newark so they could tour the courthouse, the Sullivan Building and the UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the 2,000-year-old Newark Earthworks.
Welling said the preservation awards, which will be presented in downtown Columbus at the Supreme Court of Ohio building – a historic work of art in its own right – have been presented since 1983, and a dozen honorees were selected from among 37 applicants this year.
Newark is the only city in which two projects are being honored this year.
| Read more: More mysteries within the Licking County Courthouse solved during rededication of the ornate, restored West Courtroom
“The awards celebrate individuals, communities and organizations making a difference in preserving history,” Welling said. “These awards are important because preservation takes a lot of work and money, and it takes people who recognize the value of preserving them. The Sullivan Building was a 10-year effort. So many people invested so much time and energy and money in restoring that building.”
She said that some people think of historic preservation as being about old buildings, “but it’s really about communities and how they developed and what makes a place like Newark unique. It’s really about people, community and creating a sense of place.”
Downtown Newark, like many other older cities with classic downtowns, had lost some of that sense of community in the second half of the 20th century and started to look a little worn.
One investment begets another, Welling said, and in Newark, restoration projects large and small have cascaded around Courthouse Square and beyond. That domino effect seemingly began with Dave Longaberger’s restoration of the Midland Theatre in the late 1990s. The 1928 theater closed in 1978 and was shuttered until the eight-year, $8.5 million restoration concluded in 2002.
“Now, when you’re there in downtown Newark, it’s such a vibrant place,” Welling said. “You see people in the shops and restaurants, and of course, people want to live there. They can walk out their front door and do so many things. That’s really attractive to people today, especially the younger demographic.”
Recognition of the restoration of the West Courtroom and the Sullivan Building are particular points of pride for Rogers Krajnak Architects of Columbus and Conrad Schmitt Studios of Chicago, which worked on both projects simultaneously with a host of other contractors.
The award for the courthouse goes to Rogers Krajnak Architects, the Licking County Commissioners, Conrad Schmitt Studios and Robertson Construction Services.
The Licking County Courthouse, built in 1876, is running out of space to house all of the court operations. 
The main doors to the courtroom includes etched and stained glass. 
Preliminary work to restore the original courtroom began in June. 
A preliminary restoration of a part of the courtroom shows what it has been (left) and what it could be (right). Judge Thomas Marcelain and others decided to go with sage wall paint rather than the salmon color seen here. 
The column on the left shows what will be, and the one on the right is what has been. 
The intricate courtroom dome, which rises into an attic space, has been restored and repainted. It’s centerpiece cap is art glass. 
The newly restored West Courtroom in the Licking County Courthouse was rededicated in a ceremony on Law Day, May 1, 2025. 
A new stained glass image on the west wall depicts government between peace and war. 
Licking County Common Pleas Judges Thomas Marcelain (left) and David Branstool (right) flank Ohio Supreme Court Justice Patrick Fischer, who was the keynote speaker during the rededication of the West Courtroom of the Licking County Courthouse on May 1. 
A ceiling mural depicts war and peace. 
A ceiling mural depicts industry and economics. 
This ceiling mural pays tribute to science and medicine. 
A ceiling mural celebrates art and music. 
This painting by Adele Bassi pays tribute to knowledge and discovery, and includes the first radio invented by Guglielmo Marconi in about 1895 – an image that helped date the artwork in the courthouse. 
The delicate work of cleaning ceiling murals in the Licking County Courthouse West Courtroom revealed the signature of the artist. 
Benjamin Franklin appears in a west-wall art glass window. 
George Washington appears in a round window above a west-facing window. 
The jury box woodwork gleams. 
Intricate woodwork shines again after restoration. 
Detailed woodwork on the judge’s bench has been restored and polished. 
Commissioner Tim Bubb has helped lead a 10-year rehabilitation of the Licking County Courthouse, culminating with a $3.2 million restoration of the ornate West Courtroom. 
It’s almost time again for the annual lighting of the Licking County Courthouse — a tradition on the Friday after Thanksgiving since 1948.
And the award for the Sullivan Building goes to Rogers Krajnak Architects, the Licking County Foundation, Conrad Schmitt Studios and Danis construction company.
Architect Peter Krajnak, who nominated the projects, said it was an honor to work on such beautiful, important buildings.
In the West Courtroom, he said, “the majesty of the space seeps out of the ceiling,” referring to the restored murals there.
Krajnak said those who worked in the courthouse take great satisfaction in knowing that “the transformation of this room to nearer its previous glory and the way in which the space tells the history and importance of the law in Licking County and beyond.”
And at the Sullivan Building, he said the ability to work from Sullivan’s original drawings was inspiring – “like the spirit of Sullivan came to life. … We didn’t just renovate the building, but also Sullivan’s spirit.”
Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb, who took the lead on a decade-long, top-to-bottom restoration of the entire Licking County Courthouse, said he and his fellow commissioners are thrilled.
“The fact that downtown Newark is being singled out for this is pretty special,” Bubb said. “We couldn’t be more proud to have statewide recognition of those projects. Downtown Newark really deserves that recognition for a historic bank building that dates to the last century and our historic courthouse.”
Bubb said the honors are not for officials “but for the people of Licking County and Newark,” and the awards honor earlier generations. “We stand on the shoulders of those who built these historic buildings so they would be here for years to come.”
| Read more: Final touches prepare the historic Sullivan Building on Newark’s Courthouse Square for reopening on Oct. 27
Connie Hawk, the former president of the Licking County Foundation who led the effort to raise $14.1 million to restore the Sullivan Building, said the preservation awards are a testament to the investment Licking County residents and former residents have made in preserving the history and culture of Newark and Licking County.
A big job in the final phase of the project was the installation of an elevator to serve the Sullivan Building. The elevator virtually fills an adjacent, attached building. 
The building next door, which houses the Sullivan Building’s elevator, is older than the Sullivan Building and required extensive restoration work. 
During the past month, much work has been done to finish up the exterior and put final touches on the interior. 
Hundreds of terra-cotta tiles on the exterior of the Sullivan Building were repaired or replaced during an earlier phase of the 10-year project to restore the building. 
The spitting lions along the side of the Sullivan Building worked like gutters in the early 1900s, but required significant restoration after decades of rust and paint built up on them. 
Terra-cotta lions stand guard over the former Home Building Association, which is now home to Explore Licking County. 
Bright sunshine and a brilliant, blue sky highlighted the decorative details in the facade of the former Home Building Association building at 1 N. 3rd St. 
Connie Hawk, former president of the Licking County Foundation and leader of the renovation project, talks with Janice LoRaso and Dan Moder of Explore Licking County. 
Wall murals in the building designed by renowned architect Louis Sullivan have been cleaned and restored. 
Explore Licking County Director of Programs Janice LoRaso and Executive Director Dan Moder are eager to greet visitors in their new offices when the Sullivan Building reopens on Oct. 27. 
Former Licking County Foundation President Connie Hawk, who has led the project to restore The Sullivan Building, applauds the many donors and others who helped with the project. 
Peter Krajnak, of Columbus, one of the architects of the Sullivan Building restoration, talks about what it was like to work on a building designed by a renowned architect. 
The view from the Licking County Courthouse lawn showed a crowd of more than 100 people at the dedication of the restored Louis Sullivan Building in October 2025.
And she said the State Historic Preservation Office was a strong partner in helping with both technical aspects of the restoration process and ensuring that the work would conform with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s historic preservation standards, which is vital to obtaining federal tax credits that helped fund the project.
Janice LoRaso, director of programs for Explore Licking County, the tourism office housed in the Louis Sullivan Building, said the preservation award is a recognition of “a pride of place for us. Our community showed up with their feet and their dollars to make it beautiful again.”
And the result, she said, is that it draws tourists who gush about the little “jewel box” bank building – one of eight designed by Chicago architect Louis Sullivan – and that instills even more pride in the people of Newark.
LoRaso said she was there the day the State Historic Preservation Office staff visited, and she said their reaction as they stepped through the front doors was priceless.
“You could literally hear them gasp as they took in the details of the restoration,” she said.
Alan Miller writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.