Long Prairie, Minnesota
Collaborative Design Group was retained to perform a study regarding the reuse of the 1883 County Courthouse. At that point in time, the building was only being used for storage and County Commissioners were faced with the decision to either find a use for the building or tear it down. CDG began a County-wide space programming process and organizational analysis with each Todd County department to determine their space needs consider the best use of existing resources, potential reorganization of departments, and the consolidation of services.
The report revealed that additional space requirements were needed and that the historic Courthouse was suitable to be reused to meet the County’s needs. It was determined that the interior would not be able to be preserved as originally constructed, but a thoughtful schematic design was developed that included removing walls within the building to allow for open offices and adaptable spaces for future growth of the County administration and service departments. Exterior work included masonry repairs, replacement of gutters and doors, and upgraded landscaping, site grading, lighting, and parking. A window replacement restored the original aesthetic of the exterior and offered improved interior efficiency. The project came in under budget, even with the addition of a complete roof replacement and extra interior modifications.
