As work continues at the Cass County Historic Courthouse, the county government recently updated the community on the renovation project’s progress.

According to the county’s Facebook page, the first two flights of the central staircase have been built, and the platform for the third floor is framed. Steel stud framing on interior partition walls is 90 percent complete, while steel doorframe installation is approximately 75 percent complete, and ductwork, in-wall plumbing, and wiring are progressing. Plasterboard work and plaster and lath repair are also underway.

Since the construction of the Cass County Law & Courts Building on M-62 in 2003 left the courthouse at 120 N. Broadway in Cassopolis vacant, county leaders looked for a solution that would fill the community’s needs while also preserving the building’s history. So in 2022, plans to relocate administrative offices — currently located in the annex connected to the courthouse — were announced.

Cass County received more than $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, and commissioners voted to obligate $9 million to renovate the courthouse as the county’s new administration building.

Following the Cass County Commission’s decision to obligate funding for the renovation of the building back in October 2022, the county contracted the services of owner’s representative PlazaCorp, architectural design company Intersect, and contruction firm Elite Companies to carry out the project.

Construction began in 2023, and the renovation is expected to be completed in time for the building’s 125th birthday this year.