Interested in art and history?
You’ll find both during an open house at the Licking County Courthouse from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, May 1.
The entire courthouse in downtown Newark has undergone a $18.2 million historic renovation, and the final piece of that decade-long series of projects was the restoration of the ornate West Courtroom.
May 1 is “Law Day,” when the justice system and those who serve in it are honored. After a rededication of the courtroom that morning, said Licking County Commissioner Tim Bubb, the courtroom will be open to the public to view the museum-quality artwork and all that has been done to preserve the history and character of that space within the centerpiece of downtown Newark.
| Read more: Final phase of 10-year Licking County Courthouse renovation underway to restore its grand original courtroom
The centerpiece of the courthouse is the West Courtroom, and what makes it stand out amid the many architectural details in the building dating to 1876 is the artwork in that courtroom.
Two stories above Common Pleas Judge Thomas Marcelain’s bench in the courtroom are murals that had been hidden by a dark veneer of aging varnish, coal dust and grime for decades.
A delicate and detailed restoration of the murals and more on the walls revealed a few fascinating secrets and museum-quality artwork that depict scenes from local and national history – many related to the U.S. justice system or historical figures with connections to Licking County and Ohio.
| Read more: Courtroom restoration reveals museum-quality artwork and a few well-kept secrets
After nine months of holding court in the lower level of the nearby County Administration Building while the restoration was underway, Marcelain was happy to get out of the basement in March and back into the second-floor art gallery that is his courtroom.
| Read more: Courtroom reveal: Restoration of art-filled gem nearly complete, celebration and open house set for May 1
Few are more excited about the completion of the final phase of a 10-year, top-to-bottom restoration of the courthouse than Bubb, who has helped lead the project.
He beamed as he walked around the West Courtroom rattling off the names of U.S. presidents and other statesmen whose busts and images decorate the walls – along with detailed descriptions of restored murals on the ceiling and walls, two new murals, and stunning new stained-glass images.
“It’s a sight to see; let me just put it that way,” he said in a recent Facebook video about the May 1 open house. Anyone attending the open house should enter the courthouse through a lower-level door – under a grand staircase on the southeast side of the courthouse, which is the side facing the intersection of South 2nd Street and South Park Place.
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.