FAIRMONT– One of the four large murals, Peace, on the interior of the Martin County Courthouse dome was removed on Tuesday in order for an assessment to be done on needed repairs.

Back in October the Martin County Board of Commissioners had approved of scaffolding to be put up in order for a restoration company to access the historic murals. At its Nov. 18 meeting, the board approved a bid of $12,650 from Conrad Schmitt Studios Inc. (CSS) to have the most damaged of the murals removed and looked at.

The county’s Building Maintenance Supervisor, Luke Cyphers, said, “the mural itself, from what I was told by the art conservator that showed up, was extremely brittle.”

He said it is still up in the air whether the original mural can be salvaged or will need to be duplicated and replaced.

Per the county’s website, the Martin County Courthouse dome extends 58 feet above the roof of the building. The inside of the dome contains four large paintings symbolizing Peace, Genius, War and Inspiration. The were done in the early 1900s by Franz E. Rohrbeck. Each are about 16 feet wide by 22 feet tall, painted on canvas adhered to the wall.

Before they were taken off, CSS had said a preliminary assessment showed severe delamination, cracking and yellowed or discolored varnish. Water damage was also evident on the murals and there was concern for the plaster behind them.

Cyphers said that while it was expected the process of taking the mural down would be a two day job, it only took one day.

“They rolled it up and put it in a big tube and took it with them back to where they will test it and restore it,” Cyhpers said.

He said that while the outlook for the most damaged mural is unknown, the good thing is that the condition of the wall behind it was better than anticipated.

“The plaster behind the mural appears to be in really good shape,” Cyphers said. “That was a big concern of the board that the wall was going to be deteriorated but it’s really not.”

Now with the mural removed and gone, Cyhpers said a report and updated bid will be sent back, based on newly found information.

CSS had previously said they preferred to start small, by looking at the most damaged mural first, and then begin to assess the others if the board chooses to do.

Cyphers expressed confidence in the work that CSS is capable of.

“They’re a very reputable company, it’s not like they haven’t done this before. It’s a good company to work with,” he said.