Harris County Courthouse

United Restoration was chosen by Vaughn Construction to assist with the full
restoration of the historic 1910 courthouse in Houston, Texas. The contract
included a comprehensive restoration of the exterior envelope, including
architectural terra cotta, large granite steps, facade brick and the roof level dome. This required rebuilding balusters and handrails that had been
demolished in the 1950s, replacing damaged units, and patching and glazing
existing units. One of the unique challenges was repairing ornamental terra
cotta units such as eagles, lion heads, and queens with crowns, which had
damaged components. Custom repair mortar was used to hand-carve these
items in order to match the existing detailing. Additionally, 1,800 damaged
pieces of terra cotta were removed and replaced with new units. The original
limestone roof coping, not part of the 1910 design, was replaced with terra
cotta units to adhere to the original design. Furthermore, United was
responsible for recreating four granite entrances that had been previously
demolished, including the installation of large granite units, each weighing over 2,500 pounds.