Lackawanna County Courthouse Square | Site Improvements
Site Improvements
Scranton, PA
Owner
Lackawanna County Commissioners
Scranton, PA
Design Professional
McLane Associates
Scranton, PA
H+C Architects
Scranton, PA
PROJECT
Site improvements to the Lackawanna County Courthouse Square in Scranton, Pennsylvania which consisted of creating three outdoor green spaces and a secure SALLY Port. Each gathering area features its own, unique architecture: Veteran’s Plaza, Four Season’s Plaza, and Plaza Del Arte. The plazas compliment the magnificent structure which is listed on the national historic register and has stood since 1888.
CHALLENGES
- Removing existing sidewalks, plantings and some trees; replacing site lighting, sidewalks, and curbs; adding new brick and granite pavers and new utilities.
- Restoring existing monuments, relocating monuments, and erecting new monuments. This included establishing secure foundations. Since the entire courthouse structure and its surrounding monuments were built upon a peat bog, extra measures had to be taken to sure-up the monuments. Another challenge regarding the monuments was coordinating and organizing all of the monument inscriptions.
- Incorporating hardened security measures into construction and positioning them in a way that is esthetically pleasing.
- Maintaining public access to the courthouse throughout construction.
SOLUTIONS
- Extremely stringent and tight criteria were established to preserve the integrity of the Courthouse’s structure and surrounding grounds and buildings throughout the construction process.
- New granite and marble monuments were fabricated, inscribed and carefully installed. To ensure historical integrity of the monument inscriptions, L.R. Costanzo worked with historians and other key community leaders.
- Worked with security consultants and engineers to aid in the security system design. Site security features such as electronic surveillance, bollards, earth berms, additional lighting, and vehicle barriers, along with planned landscape features (including monumental walls) were also installed to enhance the security of the courthouse.
- Pedestrian traffic was re-routed while the work was being performed so as to not interrupt the Courthouse’s daily operations. Pedestrian safety was continually monitored.
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
L.R. Costanzo experts also:
- Undertook the restoration and repair of the Sailor’s and Soldiers Monument. This monument required extensive cleaning and repairs due to many years of neglect. The monument stone needed thorough cleaning and some re-pointing to ensure the longevity of the structure. Additionally, the bronze statues at the top of the monument were in a state of severe disrepair. The statues were removed, crated, and sent off site for detailed repair and restoration.