Geauga County Commissioner and lifelong masonry worker Jim Dvorak teamed up with Joe Lallo Nov. 1 to lay a mockup brick wall as a template for the ongoing Geauga County courthouse restoration project on Chardon Square.
Geauga County Commissioner and lifelong masonry worker Jim Dvorak teamed up with Joe Lallo Nov. 1 to lay a mockup brick wall as a template for the ongoing Geauga County courthouse restoration project on Chardon Square.
The mockup wall section sits in what usually serves as the building’s jury parking and will serve tradesmen as they work to construct the building’s walls.
“It’s all the details,” Dvorak explained. “So, other trades can see what’s behind the wall.”
Lallo, owner of Lallo Masonry and Concrete, said the details will be precise.
“We’re doing a brick mockup sample to match the existing building, along with the mortar color,” he explained.
Lallo said the process to match stone and mortar to the existing historic building takes time. Cleveland Quarry, located in Vermillion, has been involved in the process for the past two years, with ThenDesign Architecture providing them with blueprints. Cleveland Quarry is also where the stone from the original building came from.
As well as providing a visual for the colors, the mockup serves another purpose.
When people need to check the layout, they can look at this sample piece, Dvorak said, adding in a job with so many moving components, it’s an important way to help keep everyone on the same page as construction continues.
“You can never have too many meetings on a job like this,” he said. “Because everyone has to know what’s going on in sequence with the other trades.”
As long as the weather holds up, the building should be closed up within the next few weeks, with contractors aiming to have it enclosed by the time winter hits, the duo said.
The project should conclude in December of 2025, Dvorak added.
