BUTTE — High above the everyday hustle and bustle at the historic Butte-Silver Bow County Courthouse, it is no easy feat to replace windows that date back 113 years.
"They look small from the road, but when you get close, like the ones we’re working up there...they’re twelve and a half feet tall," says Thomas Jensen.
Jensen is the lead apprentice with Butte-based Custom Construction. He is leading a team of six carpenters in the project that began in July 2025. He says it is tricky getting the massive windowpanes—some weighing up to 500 pounds—into place.
"You have to get up there and lift ‘em onto there on a little piece of metal for it to snap into," says Jensen.
"This project to us is, it’s huge. Cause it’s a lot of pride that goes into changing these windows out, because of the history of the whole courthouse in Butte," says Brent Giop, President of Custom Construction.
Watch as skilled carpenters replace century-old windows at Butte's courthouse. These massive panes are 12.5 feet tall and weigh up to 500 pounds
The classical-style courthouse was built around 1910, replacing the original building for more space. Historic preservation officer Kate McCourt says replacing the century-old windowpanes will protect the building for years to come.
"With this improved functionality, it is going to really help elongate the life of the building. Windows are the, you know, the eyes to the building, basically," says McCourt.
Butte-Silver Bow buildings manager John Sullivan says the courthouse is a piece of living history that welcomes some 300 community members and tourists daily.
"When it was first built, it actually cost more than the state capital until the second phase of the state capital was conducted. So, yeah, it’s a special place," says Sullivan.
Replacing the front and west side windows will cost around a million dollars — $500k for the front and around $485k for the west side. Funding for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the county’s capital improvement budget. Four bathrooms inside the building are also being improved at the moment.
As Jensen prepares to harness up and climb onto the lift to finish the windows in the district courtroom, he says years from now he'll be driving by the courthouse with pride.
"Oh yeah, I’ll be 80 years old, like, I did them windows when I was 20."
