The towers at the Venango County Courthouse are in line for a facelift once the weather improves.
Josh Sterling, the community development planner with the Venango County Regional Planning Commission, said the plan is to coat the towers, which are made of tin, once structural issues are addressed. Materials from RMer-Coat Restoration System would be used.
The spray-on adhesive coating will keep the tin on the towers from bleeding through and rusting as well as fix any leaks or pinholes in the tin, Sabrina Backer, Venango County’s chief clerk, said.
The towers will be repainted white after the coating is sprayed on, the county commissioners have said.
Backer said renovations would also be made to the bell in the courthouse tower.
The project is funded 50% by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and 50% by the county, Sterling said.
Backer said the renovations to the existing tin towers would be less expensive than a total restoration to the original copper that would cost $1.5 million.
The clocks in the taller tower were replaced with electric clocks in 1939. It was the last of a series of major renovations to the courthouse done in the 1930s, according to Carolee Michener’s book “Franklin: A Place in History.”
