The historic Lowndes County Courthouse is a focal point in the community as it sits stately in the middle of the main square in the heart of downtown Valdosta, the county seat. It was a symbolic reflection of the county’s societal values and aspirations when it was constructed in 1905 and 118 years later, this majestic structure continues to represent the county’s cornerstone of a culture and society.
Gladwin Vaughn Architecture embarked on the restoration and rehabilitation of the historic Courthouse in 2019 with a thorough historic and existing conditions investigation. In 2022 and in collaboration with the Lowndes County’s Board of Commissioners and the County’s leadership, the project became a reality and construction was completed in August 2023.
The project included the repair and restoration of the building’s historic materials and features, upgrades to all the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and the addition of a fire sprinkler system. Work also included restoring the interior of the building to its original historic footprint including its historic finishes, such as the marble flooring and wainscotting, pressed metal ceilings, and heart pine flooring. Other significant interior work included the uncovering and restoring of the historic courtroom balconies and the historic balcony risers on the third floor. Exterior work included replacing the non-historic aluminum windows and doors with historically appropriate windows and doors, restoring the masonry, and reroofing the building with clay-tile similar to the original.
The Courthouse will be used as a Regional Visitor Information Center and has the capability to accommodate court functions in the restored multi-purpose historic courtroom.
