HISTORIC FAYETTE COUNTY

COURTHOUSE

Location
Lexington, Kentucky

Client
Lexington Fayette County
Urban Government

Type
Current Work

Size
50,300 sq ft

The renewal of a civic landmark.

‘A gift to the community.’

The Historic Courthouse Dome was revealed to the public by Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. The reopening of the Dome, which has not been visible to the public since the 1960s, is part of a $32 million restoration of the Historic Courthouse led by KNBA. Photo credit Charles Bertram, The Herald-Leader.

K. Norman Berry Associates (KNBA) has led the project team in the complete exterior restoration and interior renovation of the Fayette County Courthouse, one of the most prominent and architecturally significant landmarks in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. We are respectfully transforming the building for contemporary uses and ushering in a new, publicly accessible future.

KNBA worked collaboratively with Deborah Berke Partners and approached the project with the goal of preserving the character of the building, especially its existing architectural fabric, while updating it for a new mix of uses that will once again make the building an accessible and dynamic focal point of downtown.

The rotunda is being reconceived as an event space, with a restored plaster dome including lighting that suggests a starry sky, flanked by two flexible event spaces designed to accommodate a variety of functions at many scales. Lighting is used throughout the project to subtly highlight the architecture and provide spatial clarity and aid in way-finding. In addition to the event space in the rotunda, the building will contain offices for businesses and civic non-profit organizations, as well as ground floor food and beverage outlets. The renovation brings one of the city’s most important buildings back into the lives of the people of Lexington.