Luzerne County Courthouse Mosaics

Luzerne County Courthouse was originally built in 1906 and richly decorated with murals by Kenyon Cox and Edwin Blashfield. EverGreene worked for over a decade investigating and researching the art and architectural finishes. All the decorative finishes on the first floor were damaged in flooding in the 1960s and completely overpainted in 1967.

In 2019, EverGreene completed the restoration that had begun on the Courthouse. Our artists and design team addressed all artwork and finishes in the remaining first-floor foyer and hallways, by replicating the historic murals and decorative finishes damaged by a leak in the roof and cleaning and conserving the mosaics and marble.

Extensive testing was done to determine suitable products for each of the specific surfaces.  Each restoration cleaner and/or stripper was applied to test panels in order to determine dilution rates, dwell times, number of applications, compatibility, effectiveness, application procedures, effects of pressure rinsing, and desired results. After the execution of a full-scale mockup on-site to illustrate the artistic intent, quality of craftsmanship, materials, and methods, our team carried out their recommendations to execute the conservation of the mosaics. The mosaic conservation, and decorative painting consisting of stenciling, gilding, and trompe l’oeil, were executed on-site.