Goddess Of Justice Awaits Repair

A live judge has recovered from a blow to the head from falling scaffolding outside the Elm Street courthouse. A marble lawmaker outside the building, on the other hand, will have to wait over a year for restoration.

The two law men have fallen victim to years of decay at the GA 23 Superior Court, where repairs are moving along more deliberately than even the wheels of justice.

The marble building has faced the Green at 121 Elm St. since 1914. Exterior restoration to its iconic columns and stairs, originally scheduled to begin in 2008, has been pushed back to next summer, according to a state official.

Meanwhile, scaffolding has become a permanent fixture at the building’s Elm Street and Church Street entrances.

Shortly after returning to the courthouse from a year-long stint in Milford, Judge William Holden met a rude awakening two-and-a-half weeks ago: A piece of wood from the scaffolding fell onto his head as he walked through the employee entrance on Church Street (pictured). The judge escaped serious injury, according to several people familiar with the incident. (He declined to discuss it.)

After the accident, the sidewalk was taped off where it passes under the scaffolding, reported Steve ​“Jack” Williams, who runs a hot dog stand at the corner of Elm and Church.

The structure was quickly secured.

“The next day, all the boards were replaced,” Williams said.

Williams’ cart, Jack’s Concessions, has become an institution itself, serving hungry court-goers for over 20 years. He estimated the scaffolding has been hanging over Church Street for the last five or six.

The scaffolding covers a short, cracked staircase. Footprints mar the cement that was poured onto the landing. Far above it, lion masks wear black beards of pollution.

Those lions, and the staircase below, are among many features now scheduled for repairs as soon as next summer, according to state Department of Public Works (DPW) spokesman Patrick Nolan.

This marks the state’s second attempt at repairs.

About three years ago, the state put out a bid to rehab the Elm Street facade facing the Green. It hired Hoffman Architects of Hamden to design the project.

On June 12, 2008, the state awarded a $1.7 million bid to Paragon Construction Company of New Haven to perform the work.

“Our project was to repair the grand staircase, and do some repairs to the column capitals,” said Al Ridinger, a project manager at the construction firm at 370 Davenport Ave.

The project hit an early snag when a hawk’s nest was discovered in the statuary above the six Ionic columns. The state Department of Environmental Protection was called in for advice.

“There was some concern, but we worked something out with the wildlife people as to what we could do,” said Ridinger. He said the bird’s safety ​“was never an issue, because no work was ever done.”

“Within a month or two, they canceled the bid,” said Ridinger.

The state terminated the contract on Sept. 5, 2008, DPW spokesman Nolan confirmed. He said the state decided ​“to pursue a more efficient and cost effective course.” The state decided to ​“include this project in a much larger renovation of the building.” The new project will include, in addition to exterior repairs to columns and stairs on Elm Street, restoring the roof, windows and doors.

The state hired Jeter Cook Jepson of Hartford to design the project.

“The intent is to restore all exterior features of the building,” said David Barkin, a principal at the firm. The building is made of marble.

“Over time, due to pollution and acid rain, the marble kind of melts,” he said. The process is called ​“sugaring.” ​“It gets grainy and you lose detail.”

The sugaring has hit hard on the faces of the statues that adorn the court’s southern facade.

On the stairs sit two 100-ton Georgia marble statues. The one on the left (in photo at the top of this story) is The Lawmaker, holding a scroll. The one on the right is The Advocate.

Far above them, atop the Greek columns, eight marble figures crouch in a triangular tympanum. In the center, the Goddess of Justice is seated in a Greek throne, her hand resting on the hilt of a large sword. On her sides sit other figures depicting: Progress, Statutory Law, Common Law, Precedence, and Accuracy, according to a historical report on the courthouse put together by Building Conservation Associates, Inc. (Click here to check out a few relevant pages, and see more photos with details of the building.)

These days, Precedence (at right in photo, with Common Law) stares down at courtgoers with a sunken, blackened face. Like the prisoners entering the courthouse through basement lockup, the stone figures are trapped in a cage. Theirs is made of black mesh, which also covers the Ionic capitals atop the columns.

Barkin said there are no clear photos of what Precedence used to look like before his face was gutted by time. So Barkin’s firm won’t recommend that any details be added back on. Rather, his plan will call for ​“consolidating” the statues. That means the marble will be protected against further deterioration, so that no more details are lost.

He he’s glad some investment is being made into saving the building from further decline.

“It’s arguably the finest example of Beaux-Arts architecture in the state” he said.

“The state is very well-known for building buildings, but not for maintaining them,” Barkin said.

The state aims to go out to bid for construction in the spring of 2011, said DPW’s Nolan. ​“Our goal, pending funding, is to start construction next summer.” The work ​“would be completed in one year.”

Back on Davenport Avenue, Paragon Construction’s Ridinger welcomed the chance to take another swing at renovations.

“It’s a gorgeous building,” he said.