FORT WORTH — The same bell has echoed through downtown Fort Worth since the massive granite courthouse opened in 1895.
The clock wasn't electrified until the 1940s, but time has finally caught up with the clock... and the bell... and the copper-topped tower that houses them in Tarrant County's majestic courthouse on the bluffs above the Trinity.
To climb into the tower is to climb back in time. County facilities director David Phillips points down at a space between the brick interior wall and the creaky wood floor.
"You notice the black pieces of charcoal? That's from the charcoal where they were heating up the rivets," he said.
Charcoal left by workers 115 years ago.
Now it's up to us to preserve their craftsmanship.
"When it rains, it leaks in this dome," Phillips said. "The copper on the dome was not meant to be waterproof."
More than a century of leaks has rotted the wood, corroded metal, washed out mortar and weakened joints. It all must be fixed — and quickly.
The wake-up call came last year when a 400 lb. slab of cast iron tumbled from the balustrade onto the roof.
"We're going to come in here and rehabilitate the interior," Phillips said. "Take off all the cast iron balustrade components, take them to the shop; recondition them."
Water is causing the most damage, but it's not the only culprit.
The bell itself is shaking the bricks apart when it tolls. The same Cincinnati firm that worked on it in the 1940s will return to reduce the vibrations from the 8,000 lb. bell.
David Phillips said a $5 million renovation is urgent. He said funding will dictate the timing, but added the Super Bowl is also a factor, when Fort Worth's crown jewel will be on display for the world to see. No one wants to see the courthouse encased in scaffolding.
Phillips expects the county to bid the project by the end of October. He said scaffolding will go up as soon as the Super Bowl party is over in February.
E-mail jdouglas@wfaa.com
