FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Rachel Hamilton, Marketing Coordinator (813) 221 ‐ 8771 R.Hamilton@RoweArchitects.com Rowe Architects’ Tom Hammer Leads Presentation on the Historic Preservation of Old Polk County Courthouse (Tampa, Fla.– February 10, 2015) – Thomas A. Hammer, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Rowe Architects Incorporated, an architectural design firm in Tampa, was invited to give a presentation at the Old Polk County Courthouse on Saturday, January 31 in Bartow. Tom was the lead preservation architect during the restoration of the courthouse. The presentation, “National Register of Historic Places, Historic Districts” was the third and final presentation in a series. It was also the conclusion of Preservation Celebration Month at the Polk County History Center, formerly called the Polk County Courthouse. Tom discussed the National Register of Historic Places– a list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. He went into detail about what a listing means, what it does not mean, listing requirements, as well as the listing process. Introductions and a presentation titled “Heritage Tourism” were by Polk County History Center Historic Preservation Manager Myrtice Young. The event was well ‐ attended and included Polk County Commissioners John Hall and Edwin Smith. After the presentation, Tom and Commissioner Hall guided a tour of the beautifully restored building and discussed the history and the restoration of the courthouse. Commissioner Hall was a county employee and held various leadership roles during the restoration project. “It looks as good today as it did when we finished the restoration 20 years ago,” said Tom. “For John and me, it was a walk down memory lane.” Due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback, Mrs. Young invited Tom to present again next year. The courthouse was originally built in 1908. In 1926, two wings were added to the building. The restoration took place from 1988 to 1995 in four phases: the restoration of the exterior of the building, installation of the HVAC system, remodeling of the west wing into a library, and remodeling of the east wing and the original courthouse into a museum. The work was done in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards for the Rehabilitation of Historic Structures. The design and construction was funded in part by five historic preservation grants from the Florida Department of Historical Resources. The old courthouse, now called the Polk County History Center, is comprised of both the Historical Museum and Genealogical Library, with free admission to the public. A week earlier, Tom participated in a seminar entitled “Preserving Polk Pride: Researching and Promoting Polk County’s Historic Sites Preservation Celebration Panel.” It included a discussion on restoration projects in Polk and Osceola counties with a distinguished panel of speakers from both counties. Tom discussed the history and the
process of restoring the courthouse in collaboration with Mark Donald, PE, Facilities Project Engineer at Polk County Board of County Commissioners. Mr. Donald was the Director of Facilities during the course of the project. These events were also featured in the recent issue of Art ‐ i ‐ facts magazine, a publication of the Polk Arts Alliance. For more information about the Polk County Courthouse and additional projects, please visit Rowe Architects’ website at www.rowearchitects.com. Photo Captions: The exterior façade of Polk County History Center after restoration in Bartow, Florida. Source: George Cott, CROMA, Inc. for Rowe Architects Incorporated, ca. 1995.
The exterior of Polk County Courthouse, ca. 1908 in Bartow, Florida. Source: “National Register of Historic Places: Research”, spreadsheet, Properties on the National Register, http://www.nps.gov/nr/research/.
Thomas Hammer, AIA, LEED AP, of Rowe Architects Incorporated with Polk County Commissioner John Hall leading a guided tour of the history and renovation of the Polk County History Center, formerly known as the Old Polk County Courthouse. Source: Polk County History Center, Facebook site, https://www.facebook.com/PolkCountyHistoryCenter/photos/p.10152803485324024/10152803485324 024/?type=1&theater, 2015. About Rowe Architects Rowe Architects Incorporated is a nationally recognized architectural design firm based in Tampa, Florida The firm, founded in 1965 by the late H. Dean Rowe, FAIA, has an award winning history of providing quality professional architectural services on educational, institutional, commercial, multi ‐ use and historic preservation projects throughout Florida. A member of the United States Green Building Council, Rowe Architects offers full architectural, master planning, programming, building analysis and LEED accreditation services. The firm’s work has been recognized both nationally and regionally for design excellence and energy conservation. For more information, please visit www.rowearchitects.com.
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