SALT LAKE CITY — A renovation project to preserve the historic Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse is expected to last another year. But when it does reopen, federal building managers say they believe it will become a new standard for federal buildings across the country.

The U.S. General Services Administration announced Tuesday it has recently directed nearly $50 million of Inflation Reduction Act money toward investments to not just retrofit the building, which the initial project called for, but also make it more energy efficient so it can produce net-zero emissions in the future.

"This is a model of what we can do all around the country when it comes to renovating (and) upgrading older buildings to make them future-proof and make them more efficient," said General Services Administration Administrator Robin Carnahan. "We are leading by example with this project here in Utah."

The Moss Courthouse is one of the first federal buildings constructed in Utah after it became the country's 45th state, originally serving as a post office when it opened in 1905. Building additions were constructed in 1912 and 1932 as the property expanded and served different federal needs.

Chris Merritt, Utah's preservation officer, says it's an "iconic piece" of Salt Lake City's downtown architecture. Designed by James Knox Taylor in a neoclassical rival style, it's one of the oldest remaining buildings on Main Street. The building served as a vital U.S. District Courthouse until 2014 when most of the federal operations moved to the sleeker Orrin G. Hatch U.S. Courthouse across the courthouse plaza.

It remained the state's bankruptcy court by the time federal officials announced in 2020 that it would undergo a major retrofit to preserve the historic building. The initial $116 million project, which started in April 2022, sought to not only renovate the aging building but also retrofit it to make it seismically stable. Merritt said Utah and federal officials have collaborated to save the historic building throughout the process.

"This is the most complicated building I have ever worked on," added Tim Gaidis, senior designer for the architecture firm HOK, referencing the building's three historic construction areas. "I've called it the one-eyed teddy bear that you love. There is something new about it every time you turn the corner — a little piece of history."

It's still slated to hold the bankruptcy court and about a dozen federal agencies when it does reopen.

New upgrades

The additional money announced Tuesday simply adds more to the project.

The new funding — a portion of the nearly $3.5 billion that the Inflation Reduction Act set aside to help modernize and maintain federal buildings — will go toward low-embodied carbon materials including concrete, glass and steel installations that produce fewer greenhouse gases in production, according to the agency. It adds that the building will also be switched to 100% electricity with "high-efficiency" air handling units, as well as electric boilers and water heaters.

Carnahan calls it a "triple-win." She believes it's helping create jobs now while cutting electricity and leasing costs for federal agencies and reducing carbon emissions. The courthouse project is one of about 150 projects across 39 states; combined, the projects are projected to reduce emissions by 41,000 metric tons annually when online.

It's expected to prolong the project by about nine additional months, meaning that the building is now projected to open in 2025, said Erin Holcombe, the project's manager.

"We were cruising along with construction, then we had put a stop on all our electrical and mechanical work while our fabulous design team reworked the project," she said, adding that seismic upgrades could continue despite this.

She adds that the team has had to navigate the same challenges as other construction projects, such as labor shortages and supply chain issues. Supply chain issues have improved with time, as most of the items used are sourced from Utah or other parts of the U.S.

Related:

'I am so excited': $116M renovation of historic federal courthouse in Utah begins

The century-old building is getting its first major upgrade in nearly 90 years so it can remain at the center of the city's judicial sphere.

While the project aims to provide an example for other federal buildings, Merritt said he hopes the project may help inspire people in Utah to find ways to preserve and retrofit historic buildings instead of tearing them down.

He believes every building has a story to tell that's worth preserving over time.

"This project with its innovative technology is the model for the future," he said. "It's great that Utah is the model for the future of making our buildings nationwide energy-efficient, but also honoring the history here."

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