Oct. 2, 2026 noon
(WGTD)---Coming on up Sunday, the public will get a chance to take a look--with a musical assist-- at the newly-renovated ceremonial courtroom in the Kenosha County Courthouse. The space was recently restored to its look in 1925, the year the courthouse was opened to great fanfare.
The grandeur of the so-called ceremonial courtroom—the building’s largest courtroom—was largely covered up in the 1960s to accommodate air conditioning. The restoration project removed a drop ceiling, revealing a large leaded glass skylight, decorative ornamentations and several historical inscriptions.
An open house will be held Sunday from 1 to 3.
An added attraction will be the premier of a narrated, 12-minute-long orchestral piece that tells the story of the building’s construction and transformations.
The piece is titled “Lovers of Liberty”—a phrase that's included in an inscription of an Abraham Lincoln quote that encircles part of the room. It was made visible again by the restoration.
The project was made possible by a $675,000 grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation and by $1.5 million in contributions from community members, businesses and foundations.
A three-and-a-half year fundraising campaign was led by a Blue Ribbon Committee that was co-chaired by retired Judge Mary Kay Wagner and former Kenosha County Executive John Collins.
Learn more about the project and Sunday's dedication here.
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