When the Civic Center was constructed in 1976, a plaza between the Onondaga County Courthouse and Civic Center was constructed covering an underground passageway between the Courthouse and Civic Center. In 1989, the original precast concrete plaza pavers and wall seats were replaced with granite, but no reconstruction work was done on the original 1976 concrete site walls. Over the years, recessed metal light back boxes and steel guardrail posts recessed in site wall tops rusted deteriorating the concrete.

Onondaga County wanted to repair or replace the concrete walls, but they wanted the Plaza to be unchanged from its 1989 reconstruction appearance.

Using a concrete form liner and adding color to the new concrete, our design team was able to replicate the existing 1976 wall appearance. The steel guardrail top tubes were reused, but posts were replaced with higher posts because the 1976 guardrail height above the Plaza level was no longer code compliant. To keep rusting guardrail posts from deteriorating, the concrete was designed with “weeped” holes constructed to drain water from the concrete post holes.

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