Council gets glimpse of work in progress at Historic City Hall 

Springfield City Council members and guests got a look at the stripped-down view of a massive makeover to the Historic City Hall yesterday. 

Workers have stripped the 1891 building down to bare walls and floors, revealing some of the architectural features in the Richardsonian Romanesque structure that was originally a U.S. Customhouse and Post Office. 

It’s all part of a restoration project with a $16.5 million budget previously approved by council, which OK’d a construction manager at risk model in early 2023. J.E. Dunn Construction Group Inc. is heading up the project. 

On the first floor, gone are the drop ceilings and suspended light fixtures that hid molded cornices and lavish Corinthian capitals topped by acanthus leaves. The columns, which City Architect Jennifer Swan said are wrapped in iron with the decorative tops finished in plaster, will be restored. 

Additionally, workers discovered first-floor exterior window frames covered up inside the walls when an east side addition was added. That addition, a loading dock, will be removed, and the windows will again shed bright natural light inside the lobby.  

Steve Telscher, project manager with Sapp Design Associates Architects PC, led the tour and began by describing the vision for the first floor, where the eastern loading dock will be replaced by an entrance with a staircase and an Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible ramp. 

The upper floors of Historic City Hall have notable architectural features as well, including transom windows, built-in bookcases and double-sided fireplaces. Some of the historical artifacts discovered during the demolition process will be placed on display in a corner of the lobby, he noted, and some – like the iron vault door hand-painted with scrollwork and a delicate landscape – will remain right where they are. 

The building, which closed to the public a year ago, is located on the city government campus at the intersection of Chestnut Expressway and Boonville Avenue. It is perhaps most notable at holiday time, when it is fully outlined in white lights. 

Before its closure, it was home to City Council chambers, and that room – already boasting wood-paneled walls and antique bench seats – will remain similar to its previous form, though the half-circle platform where council members sit will get a safety upgrade in the form of bulletproof backing, according to Telscher. The dais, too, will get ADA improvements to accommodate members in wheelchairs. 

While the building will be restored to some of its historic grandeur, it also will have mechanical, electrical and security upgrades throughout, plus a new elevator. Roof and window replacements are also in the works, with a thorough cleaning planned for the exterior stonework. 

Council has a weekly luncheon in the cramped Denny Whayne Conference Room, located on the fourth floor of the Busch Building. Plans for the renovated Historic City Hall call for a new meeting room that will be 20% larger, according to Telscher. The city clerk’s office also will be located in Historic City Hall after the renovation. 

As previously reported in Springfield Business Journal, the project has a mix of funding sources. Council originally approved $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, $6 million in level property tax bond funds and $432,000 in level property tax pay-as-you-go funding, then added $4.5 million in general fund carryover, $1 million in level property tax contingency funds and $500,000 in additional ARPA funds. 

Because of the ARPA funds in the mix, the project must be bid out before the end of 2024 with money expended by the end of 2026. Bids are handled by the CMAR and do not need to go back before council. 

Swan said the city anticipates beginning construction in February, though the contract will be completed before that, and work is expected to wrap by summer 2026. 

Swan said workers are currently working on abatement that includes interior demolition and lead and asbestos removal. She noted the abatement has cost more than anticipated at over $1 million so far. 

“Hopefully it will come in on budget. That’s the goal,” she said of the total project. “Until it bids, we don’t know.” 

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.