The federal courthouse By Barry A. Muskat; photos by kc kratt The process started fifteen years ago but has been subject to frustrating delays caused by the federal moratorium on courthouse construction. The good news is that the new federal courthouse is now scheduled for substantial completion in February 2011. The courts will probably move to their new facility the following month.This unique structure is an eye-catching elliptical mass. The cylindrical shape with its dramatically slashed crown has intrigued many observers. Coupled with a tall elevator shaft that’s capped by a lantern and a dramatic entrance pavilion, the building will bring prominence and visibility to our judicial system and change our downtown skyline. The ten-story structure contains 264,000 square feet accommodating a hierarchy of courts, judicial chambers, and supporting spaces—jury deliberation rooms, circulation systems, laboratory, and myriad offices—all with state-of-the-art information and security technology. The precast concrete panels of the drum have been pinned with rectangular slabs of glass to give the skin a glass veil that also functions as a solar screen. The pavilion glass was still undergoing testing at the time of this writing but will be an interesting element, containing the entire U.S. Constitution etched on its surface. (It will actually read from the exterior and repeat a continuous pattern of the text.) The stone veneer has been installed on the Delaware Street side of the building in large blocks of sandstone. This honed material (not highly polished) will repeat on the interior walls of the entry. Courtrooms promise to be functional and handsome. The District Court judges’ court rooms on floors seven, eight, and nine are Vermont verde marble. The Magistrate judge’s courtrooms are wood. All interior finishes are progressing, with most of the ceilings and millwork finished. Michael Roemer, clerk of the court, explains that the project is being finished “from the bottom up,” so that the lower floors are being completed first. The uppermost floors will be the last to be finished, but the entire building will be complete and operational when opened. He reports that the long-anticipated Robert Mangold glass commission—to be displayed in the entry pavilion—is ready for installation as soon as the building can accept it. The glass curtain wall facing Niagara Square is spectacular and will prove to be a fantastic backdrop for the large plaza outside. Used for circulation or just as a break from court, it will be a prime space to relax and observe the urban scene. The prow of the pavilion building formed by the meeting of two angled walls will be a showstopper. The tall elevator shaft is already a highlight. Its lantern cap should be an instant icon when lit, a beacon for downtown’s future. For more information on the courthouse, see Barry A. Muskat’s article in Spree’s December 2009 issue. SUBSCRIBE NOW Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top