Hinds County Courthouse could get a facelift

Statues of Moses and Socrates look down from their perch atop the five-story historic Hinds County Courthouse in Jackson.

The old, gray art deco courthouse on Pascagoula Street, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, is showing its age, leading county officials to say it's time for a facelift.

"Hinds County has a beautiful, historic building badly in need of repairs," Hinds County Supervisor Peggy Hobson Calhoun said.

County officials will ask the 2016 state Legislature to include renovation of the courthouse in a bond bill. State Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, has agreed to file the bill, according to Hinds County supervisors.

The courthouse was built in 1930. The granite and limestone building is highlighted by the statues of Moses, the giver of the law, and Socrates, the interpreter of the law, adorning the top of the courthouse. The last time the courthouse was renovated was in the late 1980s. Court and other county offices were moved out of the courthouse to a temporary building during the renovation.

The courthouse reopened in 1989 after a $7.35 million renovation, which included additions to the building. There have been on and off problems with the roof leaking over the years.

Hinds County Human Capital Development Director LaVonne McGee said the county has already applied for a roughly $240,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to try to curtail some of the damage from the leaky roof. McGee said the county doesn't have the roughly $2 million to replace the courthouse roof, so officials are looking at repairs to the roof where leaks are occurring.

McGee said a group of county officials recently met with Horhn to discuss trying to get state funding to totally renovate the courthouse.

"We want to secure funds to renovate this historic building," McGee said.

The Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution to ask the Legislature to issue general obligation bonds to secure funding to renovate the courthouse.

"We're just in the waiting mode now," McGee said.

Calhoun said she is hopeful the state will assist the county. It's uncertain how much it will cost to fully renovate the courthouse, but the estimate is multi-millions. McGee said the cost could be up to $10 million.

Longtime HInds County Circuit Clerk Barbara Dunn, who took office in 1984, said a leaky roof has been a problem for many years. Dunn, who didn't seek re-election this year, said a good cleaning and painting would go a long way toward improving the courthouse.

Contact Jimmie E. Gates at (601) 961-7212 or jgates@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @jgatesnews on Twitter.