U.S. General Services Administration
Alabama Courthouse Building Preservation Plans
Dothan, Gadsden, Opelika, AL
Built during the first decades of the twentieth century, the federal buildings in Dothan, Opelika and Gadsden, Alabama, were designed in the Neo-Classical Style and typical of the types of structures that were being built by the federal government during this period.
Lord Aeck Sargent was commissioned by the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop Building Preservation Plans (BPPs) for the three courthouses. The BPP document is organized into three distinct sections: Historic Background and Documentation; Building Analysis; and Treatment Recommendations. Research was conducted to develop historic contexts for each of the buildings, and the review of existing conditions was performed through a process of observation and inspection.
As part of the review of existing conditions the building’s integrity or state of preservation was evaluated by recording the presence of surviving original features and documenting their condition. The information collected was used to inform the assignment of “preservation zones” to the interior spaces and exterior elevations of each building. Application of this three-tier zoning framework was designed to provide GSA building managers with the information necessary to make decisions about the appropriate treatment of GSA’s historic resources. The preservation zones outline which areas may be open to greater degrees of modification and which should retain their historic fabric and strictly adhere to the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation.