Restoration: A Prominent Sight in Downtown Hendersonville

Here at Dunlap Construction we pride ourselves in renewing the beauty of deteriorated structures. One of our strengths as a company is the remodel and restoration of weathered and worn buildings. When thinking back to how many successful restorations we have completed since 1976, there is always one that stands out in our mind. It’s located in the heart of downtown Hendersonville, NC. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and has become a landmark to both locals and tourists.

In the summer of 1990, Dunlap Construction was awarded the bid for repairing the Courthouse Dome structure for $180,300.00. The Dome and the six-foot statue of the Greek goddess Themis is the focal point of the 1905 Historic Henderson County Courthouse and was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, the “resident architect” of The Biltmore House.

The entire restoration took nine months to complete due to temperature and wind conditions.  Before the start of construction, two tractor trailer loads of scaffolding were erected for use on this project. Check out the impressive photo below showing the scaffolding.

Before the start of construction, two tractor trailer loads of scaffolding were erected for use on this project.

Although both the dome and its statue have a copper-like appearance they were actually made of tin.

The dome’s metal tin plates were replaced and covered with fiberglass to protect them against the harsh elements.

The Dome and Themis were painted with a bronze gel coat and an ultraviolet clear coat.

The columns that stationed the timber-framed dome on its perch atop the downtown courthouse building was rebuilt. Wind bracing panels were added to all of the support columns.

Although both the dome and its statue have a copper-like appearance they were actually made of tin.

If you would like to hear the uncensored version of this restoration, you’ll have to ask Dennis Dunlap. He can tell you the behind the scenes, unedited story that we weren’t able to tell you here.

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