06-SUS-015

**HOWARD M. METZENBAUM U.S. COURTHOUSE: HISTORIC REHABILITATION**

**General Services Administration**

**Public Buildings Service Great Lakes Region**

\"GSA\'s objective is to modernize the building and make it fully
functional and equipped to serve well into its second century. At the
same time, we want to preserve its remarkable art and architecture for
future generations to enjoy.\" (Pam Wilczynski, Project Manager, GSA
Great Lakes Region)

The \$51 million rehabilitation of the Howard M. Metzenbaum U.S.
Courthouse -a national treasure and one of the most significant
buildings in Cleveland\-- is an exemplary model of real property
innovation in its linking of historic preservation with sustainability.

One of the first historic rehabilitation projects to receive LEED-NC
certification in Ohio, and setting a new standard of achievement in
linking historic preservation and LEED certification, the Metzenbaum US.
Courthouse represents a groundbreaking approach that integrates
sustainability preservation and correlates Leadership in Energy arid
Environmental Design (LEED) certification criteria with the Secretary of
Interior\'s Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties.

Under the Design Excellence, Fine Arts and Historic Preservation
programs, the GSA and its team of architect/engineer Westlake Reed
Leskosky and construction manager Dick Corporation, rehabilitated this
landmark to meet new requirements for sustainability, function,
accessibility, and security, while restoring its magnificent
architecture, art and craftsmanship as the dignified expression of the
federal government in its community.

The project required close coordination with the Historic Preservation
Officer for GSA\'s Region 5, and formal review and approval of the plans
by the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office. Additionally at the
design stage, the Cleveland Landmarks Commission and the Cleveland
Restoration Society were given an overview of the project and provided
significant positive feedback.

Beginning in 2002, the Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse was renovated to house
the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts with four new courtrooms, chambers and
support areas. The District Courts remain in the two restored historic
courtrooms on the third floor. Other executive agencies, including the
U.S. Trustees and Department of Labor, occupy the fourth and fifth
floors in new offices, conference and meeting rooms.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the
235,600-square-foot building was designed by architect Arnold Brunner in
the Beaux Arts style and opened in 1910 as the U.S. Post Office, Custom
House and Court House. Brunner\'s commission, selected in competition in
1901, is historically significant in the context of the emerging City
Beautiful Movement, and was the first building erected in Cleveland\'s
Group Plan at the turn of the century; setting the style and scale of
later civic buildings in the city\'s downtown core.

Adjacent to Public Square, the Metzenbaum U.S. Courthouse serves as a
key element in anchoring the economic revival of the Group Plan (deemed
potentially eligible for National Historic Landmark status) and
Cleveland\'s downtown, and in preserving the unique sense of place for
the city.

**CONTACT**:

Regina Nally Kiefer, Regional Historic Preservation Officer

GSA PBS Region 5, Professional Services Division

regina.nally@gsa.gov