City of Paducah - City Hall
A Kentucky city hall wanted to keep an old look without the hassle of old materials.... were they successful?
THE PROBLEM - HOW TO KEEP A CLASSIC LOOK WITHOUT THE CLASSIC HASSLE?
Paducah, KY is a proud city situated on the border of Kentucky and Illinois, halfway between St. Louis and Nashville. A city with a rich history that featured prominently in the civil war, Paducah honored this legacy by building a beautiful new city hall in the early 1960s. The city hall persevered for generations and has become a focal point within the city, so much so that it was named to the National Register of Historic Places in July 20171. Simultaneous to being named to the register, Paducah was beginning the process to rehabilitate their beautiful city hall2.
While the interior presented its own set of challenges, the exterior of city hall is one of the first impressions Paducah makes on visitors and has become a huge focus. A large portion of the challenge lied with rehabilitating a beat-up iron railing system with a unique design. The original providers of the one of a kind railing were long gone and it looked like hope may have been lost for restoring the project to its original glory.
City hall railing after removal. The unique diamond and medallion design made finding a supplier difficult
THE SOLUTION - A CUSTOM RAILING FROM SUPERIOR ALUMINUM
The city of Paducah was running short on options when they contacted Superior Aluminum. After a quick internal discussion regarding the challenges the project would present, the Superior team eagerly got to work on a custom solution to maintain the storied legacy of the Paducah city hall.
The general railing framework was simple enough, it matched well with traditional Superior Series 9P Picket Railing. The special diamond insert and bronze medallion were where things got tricky.
First, measurements of the diamond insert were passed along. From there, final dimensions and designs had to be determined in order to ensure the diamond would:
- Match the old design
- Accept the bronze medallions
- Fit with Superior Aluminum railing extrusions and castings
Thanks to support from sister company Francis Manufacturing, a brand-new casting was tooled up for the project and a prototype was created. Once it was confirmed that the medallions would fit the diamond and the diamond would fit the rail, all of the castings were created and painted.
From measurements, to prototype, to finished insert
Once the diamond design was complete and the medallions were cleaned up, the project became business as usual. As with every project, the Superior assembly team custom built each railing section to exact project specifications including the special inserts. Upon completion, the rail was shipped to city hall and swiftly installed.
THE RESULT - HISTORY WITHOUT THE HASSLE
The Paducah city hall is still undergoing renovations, but one thing they can emphatically cross off the list is revamping their dated railing without losing the style many had come to admire. Thanks to the custom diamonds created, the new railing evokes the rich history of the building and area but with a newfound beauty!
A few of the numerous rebuilt railing sections
Be sure to check out some of our other custom applications to see if any spark some inspiration. Do you have a custom restoration or new project you think Superior has the right mentality to tackle? Please give us a call at 937-526-4065 or fill out our contact form!
FURTHER READING
How Does Railing Go From an Idea to an Installation?
1About City Hall. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2019, from http://paducahky.gov/about-city-hall
2City Hall Project. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2019, from http://paducahky.gov/about-city-hall
