VIRGINIA CITY — The Madison County Courthouse in Virginia City has seen much in its 150 years of service. However, for the past three years, it has sat vacant because of a water leak that created a building-wide mold problem.
WATCH: Historic Madison County Courthouse Gets New Life After Three-Year Closure
Today the building is still empty, but dump trucks and excavators are running full speed as work has begun to get the building open again as the center of Madison County government.
Madison County Commissioner Bill Todd says voters approved a plan to renovate the building, which opened 13 years before Montana became a state. He says because of its historical significance, every detail of the renovation had to be approved by the state historic preservation office.
The renovation involves removing an addition in the back of the building from 1913 and a larger addition added in 1961. Both of those are now gone, and only a large hole remains.
When completed, the building will feature fully accessible offices, heating and cooling, and safeguards for future water issues. Todd says the actual structure was quite good; the building survived several small earthquakes and a fire in 1972. He says visitors to the renovated building will see no signs of any of the issues, while the courtroom will remain essentially as it has always been.
The project is just over $11 million, and Todd says it is scheduled to be open for business by the end of 2027.
