By Associated Press - Wednesday, December 28, 2016

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) - Officials estimate it could cost $2.1 million to repair the exterior of Iowa’s historic, nearly century-old Woodbury County courthouse.

The courthouse - considered the largest publicly owned Prairie School-design building in the world - was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996. But the exterior condition of the building is so dire that entire bricks can be pulled from the foundation in some places, county supervisor Mark Monson told the Sioux City Journal (https://bit.ly/2i7lM5s ).

The worst spots are higher up, typically from about the third to sixth floors on the eight-story building in Sioux City, said Kenny Schmitz, director of the Woodbury County building services department. He said the north side is the most weathered part of the building, which was designed by famed architect William Steele.

“There is definitely work on all sides. There is differing severity, is all,” Schmitz said, noting that a video camera will be used to go over the building’s exterior to better determine the extent of the damage.

County supervisors said they want the building renovated for its 100th anniversary celebration in 2018, and that it might be necessary to borrow substantial funds in a capital improvement plan to pay for the repairs. The timeline for exterior work completion is still unknown.

“We are going to have another budget with a big CIP. These are needs, though,” county supervisor Matthew Ung said.

Supervisors would assign $500,000 of the total estimated cost to specialty work for scaffolding. There are also several interior repairs, including windows and courtrooms.

“That is a lot of money,” said Jeremy Taylor, chairman of the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors.

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Information from: Sioux City Journal, https://www.siouxcityjournal.com

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