Authors
Nancy A. Rankin
AIA, LEED AP, John G. Waite Associates, Architects PLLC, USA
E-mail: NRankin@JGWAarchitects.com
Abstract
The Old Nassau County Courthouse was designed in 1899 by architect William B. Tubby and was built in Mineola, NY in 1901 to the engineering specifications of Ernest L. Ransome. The Courthouse is a handsome two-story building, with a front entrance portico and central sky-lit rotunda surmounted by a double-shell dome 30 feet in diameter. The building is a very early example of the use of reinforced concrete as an expressed architectural exterior feature, and despite significant deterioration the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Starting in 2002, a comprehensive archival research and physical investigation process was undertaken for the entire building. The dome was identified early on as the most distinctive and character-defining element of the aesthetic design, as well as the technical achievement of the building, and its restoration became a visible symbol of pride for the entire county.
Keywords
Dome, Concrete, Ernest L. Ransome.