The Lewis County Board of Commissioners awarded a bid on Tuesday, May 13, for a masonry repair project on the historic Lewis County Historical Courthouse in Chehalis.
The repair work will include an initial inspection and repair of failing, patched, crumbling or missing mortar joints on the east and north sides of the building's exterior.
The contract was awarded to D&R Masonry Inc. out of Milwaukie, Oregon, for their bid of $99,000 to complete the project.
While an exact start date hasn’t been announced, Lewis County Capital Facilities Director Doug Carey said the work should start soon as the deadline for completion is June 30. Restoration projects on the Lewis County courthouse and similar courthouses in the state are common and are part of regular maintenance on many of these buildings.
Funding for the restoration comes from both the county and the state as part of the Washington State Historic County Courthouse Grant Program, which awards grant funding for restoration projects on historic county courthouses throughout the state. The state first began the matching funds grant program in 2005 to help carry the financial cost of upkeep on these prevalent pieces of state history.
“We kind of go through and examine parts of the building and identify those areas that could use some lovin’, and we put together a scope and send that in with the application,” Carey said. “The grant funds were earmarked for historical restoration … It's just what needs to be done to an older building to maintain it, and if you don't keep up on it, it gets overwhelming.”
Carey said the state will match anywhere from 25 to 50% of restoration costs for projects, depending on the project and grant application.
Lewis County is set to receive $150,000 dedicated to restoration work on the Lewis County Courthouse as part of the 2025-2027 capital budget, which will go into effect Wednesday unless it is vetoed by Gov. Bob Ferguson.
The Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis is listed on the national register of historic places. It was first dedicated in 1927 after construction was completed earlier that year. The building will be 100 years old in June 2027.
The Lewis County Courthouse is the sixth courthouse to be built in Lewis County, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle. It was the second built in the city of Chehalis, according to the City of Chehalis’ website.
Photos of the county’s many courthouses from the past — along with a brief history of the buildings — are displayed in the lobby of the Lewis County Courthouse for anyone to see. Lewis County was founded in 1845 and, not long after, the first courthouse was created from a converted family home in Jackson Prairie, 12 miles southeast of Chehalis.
