Jefferson City's Old City Hall Restoration

Project Background

For more than 50 years, Jefferson City’s Old City Hall sat vacant. In 2022, OCH LLC — led by Larry and Jeanne Musick, along with Teresa and Michael Collins — purchased the property with a vision to restore it into a community hub featuring boutique lodging, a museum, retail, and a restaurant. The challenge: preserve the building’s historic character while meeting modern safety codes.

Challenge

As part of the restoration, our team was tasked with updating the building’s interior doors to meet modern fire and life-safety codes while preserving the architectural character of the 19th-century structure. Meeting these current code requirements became a key challenge when local inspectors mandated 90-minute fire-rated doors for guest suites and firewall separations. What began as a request for a single door quickly expanded into a comprehensive package of custom doors across the property to ensure full compliance, further complicated by non-standard dimensions and strict historic preservation requirements.

Solution

Forte Opening Solutions engaged early in both the design and supply phases, providing technical guidance, supply chain coordination, and quality assurance to ensure the successful restoration of Jefferson City Hall.

Custom fire-rated doors with applied moulding—manufactured at Forte’s Jefferson City plant—were engineered to meet a 90-minute fire rating while balancing code compliance, cost efficiency, and architectural integrity. Each door was constructed to align with the building’s historic aesthetic, with rigorous inspections conducted at every stage to ensure it met or exceeded fire-rating, quality, and performance standards.

Forte worked closely with distributor Wm S Trimble, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, who performed detailed takeoffs to confirm exact measurements of existing frames—critical to achieving precise fits and smooth installation in the retrofit environment. Together, the teams coordinated procurement and delivery schedules to align with the project’s construction timeline, ensuring timely delivery without disruption.

“We recommended Forte’s™ fire-rated doors with applied moulding because they balanced fire-safety requirements with historic character, while also supporting local business.” – David Jordan, Director of Technical Sales Support.

Results

The installed doors fit seamlessly into the restored spaces, enhanced the building’s historic character, and passed inspection with ease. Guests praised the look and functionality, while inspectors confirmed full compliance with fire and life-safety codes.

“Forte has been an excellent partner… they have gone beyond anybody’s expectations, and I would highly recommend them.” – Larry Musick, Owner.

The Old City Hall project demonstrates how Forte, in partnership with Wm S Trimble, integrated technical expertise, precise coordination, innovative product solutions, and local manufacturing to preserve community heritage while meeting today’s stringent performance and code standards.

Key Takeaways

• Fire-rated solutions that fit historic settings — Custom 90-minute fire-rated doors balance modern safety codes with the building’s historic character, meeting rigorous quality and performance standards.

• Locally manufactured doors from Jefferson City showcase how local manufacturing, innovative solutions, and strong partnerships can preserve community heritage while meeting today’s code requirements.

• Success through understanding and collaboration — Forte and Wm S Trimble worked together to understand the project’s compliance, performance, and schedule requirements, delivering doors that met every need.

Project Partners

The Old City Hall restoration was made possible through collaboration with Wm S Trimble, the local distributor who helped define requirements, provide timely quotes, and coordinate delivery of doors and hardware.

Wm S Trimble is a full-service distributor of architectural building products serving contractors, architects, and designers across Tennessee and the surrounding region. With expertise in door systems, hardware, and related building materials, Wm S Trimble provides professional guidance, precise takeoffs, and logistical support to ensure projects are completed on time, on budget, and to specification. Their collaborative approach and deep local knowledge make them a trusted partner for both new construction and historic restoration projects.