Evans: Exterior fixes to Guardian Building almost done

Repairs to the outside of the historic art deco building that houses some of Wayne County’s most important government offices are nearly done, the county executive said.

As a result, the scaffolding and road barriers that have been in front the Guardian Building in downtown Detroit for the past three years are being removed, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans said Thursday.

He said work crews are wrapping up repairs to the building’s terra cotta and brick exterior.

“We wanted the scaffolding down as badly as anyone, but it had to stay up as a safety precaution until the project could be funded and completed,” he said in a statement. “Now that the work is done, the scaffolding is down.”

Construction barriers on Griswold in front of the Guardian Building will remain in place through Friday as final work is done, he said.

Repairs to the building’s exterior began in August 2013 under then-County Executive Bob Ficano. Initially, the contract was to cost the county $187,625, but the dollar amount escalated to more than $876,000.

The project was halted in 2014 and the scaffolding near the tower’s entrances on Griswold and Larned streets remained in place for safety reasons.

Evans delayed restarting repairs while the county dealt with a $52 million annual structural deficit.

Last September, the county chose property management and architectural firm SmithGroupJJR to finish the project and repair work resumed in May.

Evans said the emergency repair work cost the county $1.3 million.

CRamirez@detroitnews.com