This 1882 landmark structure has undergone a great deal of modernization, in particular adding the audiovisual systems now so important in today’s courts.

The sound systems in particular are crucial since it’s absolutely necessary that participants clearly hear every word spoken during a trial.

Lewis Sound has done a great deal of work in the building, adding audiovisual systems to more than 10 courtrooms and a grand jury room since the late 1990s. These include:

• Automatic mic systems that turn mics on only when a witness, judge, clerk or attorney speaks, and then turns them off again to keep background noise and hum out of the sound system.
• Amplifiers and ceiling-mounted loudspeakers so that everyone can hear clearly.
• Assistive listening systems to provide enhanced volume and clarity to the hard of hearing.
• Audio teleconferencing in several courtrooms to allow witnesses from other cities to testify without the expense of travel.
• Connections to allow portable video equipment, when used, to tie into each sound system.
• Sound masking systems for the jury areas in several courtrooms, turned on during judge/attorney conferences to ensure that the jury does not hear off-the-record information.