THE glowing white façade of the historic Shire Hall is once again gleaming after nearly two years of renovation work.
The scaffolding surrounding the Georgian house will be removed by mid-November, spelling the end of a £500,000 repairs project.
Owner Essex County Council will finish marketing the 18th century complex in December before deciding on its future use.
"I welcome the news this essential maintenance work at Shire Hall to address the deterioration of its outer fabric is virtually complete and on schedule," said Dick Madden, an Essex County Council cabinet member, city councillor and chairman of the Shire Hall reference group.
"This is a much-loved building and we have used the best contractors and craftsmen to make sure the work is of the highest quality to preserve and enhance the character of this wonderful building."
Shire Hall, formerly the city's magistrates' court before its relocation to New Street in 2012, was first closed in December of the same year when bits of concrete fell from the building.
The repair project did not begin until April 2014 when Ongar-based construction firm Noble and Taylor were awarded the contract.
Workers have replaced metal fixings, cracked stone and roof tiles, and repaired parapet guttering, parapet walls, metal railings, windows and timber frames.
The unveiling of the Grade II listed building coincides with last week's opening of another listed building just metres away – Jamie Oliver's Trattoria restaurant, formerly Barclay's bank.
"The work to Shire Hall will clearly enhance the whole quarter," said Malcolm Noble, Chelmsford Civic Society chairman and Shire Hall reference group member.
"It also draws our attention to the three sculptures at the top which are now revealed in all their glory.
"It's great, a real step forward for the city."
The building is crowned with three classical stone sculptures representing three characteristics of a criminal court judge: justice, wisdom and mercy.
He added: "Second to the cathedral, there can't be any question that it's the most significant building in the city and that is partly because of its position and because of its heritage to the city and how it takes us back to the days when it was an administrative centre for the whole county."
Mr Noble said the reference group has received 60 suggestions for its future use, including as a place to hire meeting rooms, for weddings and as a general tourist attraction.
Mr Noble said he was "not impressed" with a consortium's plans for a luxury boutique cinema, as revealed in the Chronicle in August. "That's too limited on its own," he said.
"The civic society accepts it's got to be a sustainable future so there's got to be a commercial element to it, but above all we want it to be open to the people of Chelmsford as a community facility."
