Whitfield County officials celebrated the completion of a $7.1 million courthouse renovation with an open house and tour this month.

"It was a total renovation. The building is a concrete frame building cast in place, again, built in 1961," said Kent Benson, county engineer, on a walk-through Wednesday.

The renovation totally removed every wall in the building down to the concrete columns, he said, and replaced almost all the plumbing and electrical infrastructure.

The county began the renovation with a $1.25 million roof replacement in 2019. Voters approved a special sales tax in 2020 that funded the $6 million interior renovation, according to Benson and county officials.

"This is a 60-year-old courthouse," said Jevin Jensen, chairman of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners, in a news release. "And now we've extended its life by at least 20 to 30 years. In Europe, they have 200-, 300-year-old buildings still being used. They don't just tear something down and rebuild it; I think that's what we've accomplished here."

(READ MORE: Plans for a 1,100-home subdivision in Whitfield County, Georgia, move forward)

The renovation brings the 1961 part of the courthouse up to modern standards, Benson said in the release. When the courthouse was expanded in 2005, a matching brick wall was constructed around the outer perimeter of the old building, which received only minor cosmetic upgrades inside. Mold eventually became a problem in the building, due to a leaky roof and an outdated heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

The three-floor, 45,000-square-foot building now includes modernized jury and judge rooms, a meeting room for the county commission, the public defender's offfice, elections offices and a sallyport that allows a safer passage for inmates to attend court.

One courtroom remained unrenovated -- keeping its 1960s style, on the presiding judge's order.

During the open house, Clerk of Superior Court Babs Bailey talked about digitizing the county's deed books, according to the release. When completed, Bailey said records will be available online 24/7, 365 days a week, avoiding any further damage by public handling of records that date as far back as 1852.

In a phone interview standing near the rows of the county's giant record books, Bailey said the early records include all kinds of transactions, where the later records only include land purchases.

Early records about long-gone horses and tractors won't be online, Bailey said, but the other documents more useful for loans and property transfers should be ready to view online within a few months, she said.

(READ MORE: New Whitfield County Civil War park offers recreation, digital features)

In an email, local art collector Robert Webb said he and county officials carefully placed 50 or 60 pieces of his collection around the newly-renovated courthouse. The artwork in the courthouse is part of his ongoing work promoting public art in the community, including the founding of a sculpture garden that bears his name.

It was gratifying, he said, because his art will reach non-traditional audiences in a setting where they wouldn't expect to see fine art.

Valeria Molina, a public relations officer for the county, was part of Thursday's tour. She said county officials made sure the art matched the purpose of the room.

"This is the colorful side, just to make you change your mood a little bit," Molina said about a series of colorful paintings in a room that hosts public meetings. "Then in the Public Defender's Office, he's got more like a blue theme to keep people calm."

(READ MORE: Whitfield County to step up animal control with new building)

Benson said the paintings are grouped together to tell a story, not take away from the purpose of the room. In an email, Webb said he recalled a time when public spaces like libraries, city halls, and courthouses featured artwork on the walls.

"When people went into these spaces, they engaged with the culture of their country," Webb said in the media release for the courthouse renovation. "I am so proud of what the commissioners have done with this project, because it's not just extending the life of the building, it's given it a new life. ... I'm glad to help in a small way."

Webb's collection spans almost 100 years, with roughly half the work by people of color, half by women, "so the artwork that will be in this building represents America," he said.

Representing diverse voices is important to Webb, he said.

"That's real huge in a courthouse because this is the people's house," he said.

Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.

Copyright © 2022, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc.

This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc.

Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2022, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. All rights reserved.