Published: Saturday, December 1, 2012 12:58 AM CST

Restorations of the Mead Building remain on track, according to Dakota Territorial Museum Director Crystal Nelson.

She said the next step for the renovation is the windows, which will start with the windows that have been purchased by donors. Construction crews will also begin laying tile in the building.

“We started the roof restoration back in July and it looks like we will be done with that part of the renovations by about Christmas,” Nelson said. “Laying the tile in the building is just a small part of the project as a whole.”

The Mead Building was completed in 1909 and is located on the south side of the Human Services Center campus just north of Yankton. It is named after, and built by Dr. Leonard Mead and serves as a monument to his attitude towards the positive treatment of mentally ill people. After a review of the property, the Yankton County Historical Society (YCHS) has shown the building and its structure would suite new museum building needs for the society.

Nelson added there are a lot of repairs needed to be done inside on the infrastructure of the building to be sure the roof and other renovations will be supported.

“The new roof we have been installing will be supported well,” she said. “With the clay tile roof we have will be able to last a couple hundred years at least.”

Nelson said the roof is very ornate and is a significant part of the building.

Crews will begin working on the windows around Jan. 1, and are awaiting the lead stabilization process on the windows. After that process is completed, the window restoration will begin.

“Fundraising we have had going on for the windows has been going very well,” Nelson said. “For a donation, you can have your name on the window with a plaque. You can also have the window be in memory of someone.”

She added some people purchased a window because they used to work at the Mead Building or because they want to be a part of the future of the building going forward.

The smallest windows cost $150 and the largest are $750. There are nine of the larger windows left, and 90 of the 250 windows have been purchased so far. People interested in purchasing a window can go online todakotaterritorialmuseum.org or call Nelson at 665-3898.

“When we were deciding how to restore the windows, we did a lot of research on which way would be the most friendly in regards to the economy,” she said. “We decided we would restore the sash window and have storm windows made as well. The combination of both will give us some aura value.”

The Historical Society must occupy the new Mead Building by 2018, and its the goal of construction crews to have the first floor renovations completed by December 2017 to allow the society some time to move in.

“The shell of the building will be done by 2013,” Nelson said. “Inside, we need to do some mechanical work and install an elevator. But we also want to start having events and a presence inside the building as soon as we can.”

She said the new Mead Building can help add to the time tourists stay in Yankton.

“Between the Meridian Bridge on the south side of town and the Mead Building on the north end, they are great packages of history we have right here in Yankton,” Nelson said. “Tourists want to experience history, not just hear about it.”

She added the restorations to the building would not be possible without the strong community support.

“We want the community to understand that this project is for them,” Nelson said. “It has been so successful because of their support.”

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal