Houston, Texas – The Harris County Engineering Department (HCED) Capital Projects Delivery Team assisted in the Jury Assembly Building Restoration, Flood Mitigation and Improvements (FEMA) project, which became open to the public earlier this year after the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey on August 25, 2017.

The Harris County Jury Assembly Building, located at 1201 Congress Street, is a three-level structure containing underground housing facilities to support juror duties and connect to surrounding county court buildings. Hurricane Harvey causd a considerable amount of damage to the Jury Assembly Building, resulting in about 9 feet of water in the basement. After the water was pumped out and remediation started on the lower level, the damage assessment inspection indicated most of the street level and second floors were left undamaged. Still, the entire lower level and attached tunnels required everything to be removed.

The $11.9 million reconstruction of the Jury Assembly Building began on February 10, 2020, upon receiving authorization from FEMA and TDEM to proceed with construction. Restoration work was primarily covered by FEMA reimbursements and proceeds from county insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program.

The flood mitigation measures were designed to reduce the risk of future building damages caused by similar or more extreme events and meet the current flood protection requirements of Harris County and the City of Houston. This included implementing a new flood barrier system at the existing egress stairway doors, installing pumps on emergency power systems and replacing walls, tables, cabinets, and countertops with new water-resistant materials. The building will also undergo some improvements, such as first-floor lobby expansion to increase security queuing capacity inside the building and restroom expansion.

Reconstruction of the building was completed in May of 2021; however, due to the pandemic, it remained closed to the public until February 7th, 2022, when Jury service returned to the renovated Jury Assembly Building.

If you are interested in learning more about the Jury Assembly Building Restoration, please contact the Director of HCED Projects, Jeremy Rocha, at jeremy.rocha@harriscountytx.gov.