The Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse (originally the United States Courthouse or the Foley Square Courthouse) is a 37-story

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

at 40 Centre Street on

Foley Square Foley Square, also called Federal Plaza, is a street intersection in the Civic Center neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City, which contains a small triangular park named Thomas Paine Park. The space is bordered by Worth Street to the ...

in the

Civic Center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains of one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, ...

neighborhood of

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, United States. Opened in 1936, the building was designed by

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of Early skyscrapers, skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minneso ...

and his son, Cass Gilbert Jr., in the

Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

style. The

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York (state), New York, and Vermont, and it has ap ...

and the

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (in case citations, S.D.N.Y.) is a federal trial court whose geographic jurisdiction encompasses eight counties of the State of New York. Two of these are in New York Ci ...

hear cases in the courthouse, which is across the street from the

Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York City The Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York (MCC New York) is a temporarily closed United States federal administrative detention facility in the Civic Center of Lower Manhattan, New York City, located on Park Row behind the Thurgood Mars ...

. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and is a

New York City designated landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...

. The building is divided into two parts: a six-story base and a 31-story office tower. The facade of the structure is made of gray Minnesota granite. The base of the courthouse, built around three interior

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

s, occupies an irregular lot. The main entrance on Centre Street contains a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

accessed by massive granite steps, while the remainder of the base contains flat

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s. A square tower, recessed from the base, rises to a small setback on the 27th floor and a pyramidal roof above the 30th. The main hall, spanning the width of the building along Centre Street, is decorated with marble floors and walls and a

coffered ceiling A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, also ...

. The building also contains 35 courtrooms, as well as a double-height

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

on the 25th floor. The courthouse was proposed in 1928 because of overcrowding at the City Hall Post Office and Courthouse. Construction began in July 1932 and lasted three and a half years; it was among the first federal skyscrapers constructed. After Gilbert's death, his son Cass Gilbert Jr. supervised construction. The building opened on January 15, 1936, and was renovated in the 1990s. The

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

passed a bill renaming the building in honor of former

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

justice

Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...

in 2001, and the courthouse was rededicated on April 15, 2003. The building underwent extensive renovations from 2006 to 2013.

Site

The United States Courthouse is in the

neighborhood of

, United States. It occupies most section of the

city block A city block, residential block, urban block, or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. In a city with a grid system, the block is the smallest group of buildings that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are th ...

bounded by Centre Street and

to the northwest, Pearl Street to the north, Cardinal Hayes Place to the southeast, and St. Andrews Plaza to the south. The irregularly shaped

land lot In real estate, a land lot or plot of land is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner(s). A plot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property (meaning practically the sam ...

covers , with a

frontage Frontage is the boundary between a plot of land or a building and the road onto which the plot or building fronts. Frontage may also refer to the full length of this boundary. This length is considered especially important for certain types of ...

of on Pearl Street and a depth of . The courthouse is flanked by two high-rise government buildings: the

Manhattan Municipal Building The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building (originally the Municipal Building and later known as the Manhattan Municipal Building) is a 40-story, building at 1 Centre Street (Manhattan), Centre Street, east of Chambers Street (Manhattan), Chambe ...

to the south and the

Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse The Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse is a courthouse at 500 Pearl Street, along Foley Square, in the Civic Center neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The 27-story courthouse, completed in 1996, houses the United St ...

to the north. Adjacent to the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse, and also facing Foley Square, is the

New York County Courthouse The New York State Supreme Court Building (also the New York County Courthouse) is located at 60 Centre Street on Foley Square in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It houses the Civil and Appellate Terms of the Ne ...

to the north. p. 80 The building also abuts St. Andrew Church to the southeast and the

Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York The Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York (MCC New York) is a temporarily closed United States federal administrative detention facility in the Civic Center of Lower Manhattan, New York City, located on Park Row behind the Thurgood Mars ...

, jail to the east. Historically, the site of the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse was occupied by the southern portion of

Collect Pond Collect Pond, or Fresh Water Pond,, p. 250. was a Body of water, body of fresh water in what is now Chinatown, Manhattan, Chinatown in Lower Manhattan, New York City. For the first two centuries of European settlement in Manhattan, it was the mai ...

. By the mid-19th century, slums and tenements had been developed in the area, which had become known as Five Points. The area was redeveloped into the Civic Center in the early 20th century, with the construction of various city government buildings there. Just prior to the construction of the present courthouse, the site had contained the New York City Board of Health building.

History

Prior to the construction of the current courthouse, the City Hall Post Office had contained federal offices and courtrooms. The post office building had become overcrowded by 1928, when the

federal government of the United States The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

acquired land on Church Street for a new federal office building. Federal jurists advocated for their own courthouse, leading the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

to approve a second building in 1930.

Development

As early as 1930, the architectural firm of

McKim, Mead & White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

had drawn up designs for a federal courthouse at Centre and Pearl Streets, replacing the New York City Board of Health building. Architect

was commissioned to design a new federal courthouse at Foley Square, and Gilbert submitted plans for the courthouse to the Treasury Department in February 1932. The 38-story building, composed of a 7-story base and 31-story tower, would contain all offices for the

. In June 1932, the federal government acquired the Health Department Building from the

government of New York City The government of New York City, headquartered at New York City Hall in Lower Manhattan, is organized under the New York City Charter and provides for a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for the ...

, selling the City Hall Post Office to the city. In addition, the city and the St. Andrew Church swapped two land parcels, since the church owned some property that was to be part of the courthouse. In July 1932, the federal government hired the George J. Atwell Foundation Corporation to excavate the site of the courthouse. The U.S. Treasury had approved the exterior design, but the interior arrangement was still being finalized. A groundbreaking ceremony for the building was held on July 20, 1932. The federal government solicited bids for the courthouse's construction in January 1933, with each bidder submitting three cost estimates for different construction materials. James Stewart & Co. submitted a low bid for granite, while the N. P. Severin Company submitted a low bid for limestone. The Treasury decided to build the courthouse out of granite, awarding a contract to James Stewart & Co. for $5.996 million on January 20, 1933. The contractor was given 720 business days to finish the job. Lawyers and federal officials laid the building's

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

on March 1, 1933. The next month,

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

subsidiary McClintic-Marshall Company received a contract to manufacture of steel for the building. After Gilbert's death in 1934, construction was supervised by his son Cass Gilbert Jr. until its completion. The courthouse was originally known as the Foley Square Courthouse and was among the first federal skyscrapers constructed. By early 1935, James Stewart & Co. planned to finish the building before that August.

Usage

Thurgood Marshall United States Court House

The Federal Courthouse was one of two skyscrapers in Manhattan completed in 1935, the other being

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. The 14 original Art De ...

's International Building. Judges did not move into the courthouse until January 15, 1936. The new building had 10 courtrooms for cases with juries and four courtrooms for cases that did not require juries. Notable events over the years that have occurred in the courthouse include the

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

conspiracy trial of

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) and Ethel Rosenberg (born Greenglass; September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) were an American married couple who were convicted of First Chief Directorate, spying for the Soviet Union, including ...

; the guilty plea of

Ivan Boesky Ivan Frederick Boesky (; March 6, 1937 – May 20, 2024) was a convicted criminal and an American stock trader who was infamous for his prominent role in an insider trading scandal in the mid-1980s. After getting caught he became a government ...

to conspiracy charges; and the trial of

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail business woman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety ...

20th century

In 1942, the federal government sued the city government, requesting that the city pay $5.2 million as part of the land swap. The city government unsuccessfully petitioned the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

to rule on the dispute, and the city had paid for the land in full by the end of 1945. The city government was planning to redevelop the surrounding area by 1948. Under the plan, the United States Courthouse would be the central structure of a new "civic center", surrounded by several public buildings. The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(FBI) also occupied nine stories in the United States Courthouse until 1952, when the FBI leased other space nearby. The government of New York City proposed redeveloping the Civic Center in 1962 as part of the "ABC plan". Several structures were to have been demolished to make way for a new Civic Center municipal building and a plaza, although the United States Courthouse would have remained in place. The

General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. G ...

planned to rearrange the interior of the United States Courthouse, but a federal judge placed an injunction on the plans in 1963. The city presented a revised proposal for the neighborhood in April 1964. As part of the Civic Center redevelopment, in 1965, the U.S. government proposed constructing a new building (later the

Jacob K. Javits Federal Building The Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building is a U.S. governmental office building at 26 Federal Plaza on Foley Square in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. At 41 stories, it is the tallest federal building in the Unit ...

) to house appellate courts and eleven federal agencies. This would free up about in the courthouse building. The building's facade was also washed in mid-1965 for the first time in three decades. The

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...

designated the United States Courthouse as a New York City landmark on March 25, 1975. The same year, the adjacent

, jail opened to the east. The

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

's office was also relocated from the courthouse to the jail building. Although the new jail was not directly visible from Foley Square, it was connected to the courthouse via a footbridge. The building was slightly damaged by flooding in 1977, after a

water main A water distribution system is a part of water supply network with components that carry potable water from a centralized treatment plant or wells to consumers to satisfy residential, commercial, industrial and fire fighting requirements. Defi ...

broke. The United States Courthouse was listed on the

on September 2, 1987. In 1992, three large historic courtrooms were restored. The courthouse was substantially renovated in 1999.

Renaming and renovation

The United States Courthouse originally did not have an official name. In 1999, the

proposed renaming the courthouse after the late

justice

. Before being elevated to the Supreme Court, Marshall had worked at the courthouse from 1961 to 1965 as a judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The

passed a bill in 2001, renaming the building in honor of Thurgood Marshall. The legislation was signed into law on August 20, 2001, and the building was rededicated on April 15, 2003. In November 2006, the Second Circuit left the Marshall Courthouse while the building underwent extensive renovations. During this period, the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse across the street temporarily housed the Second Circuit. To make way for additional mechanical systems, four elevators in the tower were truncated to the 17th floor, the highest story accessible by members of the public. Pipes and wiring were installed in the upper portions of these elevator shafts, and mechanical equipment was installed in the attic, which had a low ceiling. Some of the new wires and pipes were concealed behind existing decorations. For example, air-conditioning ducts were installed under the floor of the double-height library, while a sprinkler was placed within the library's mezzanine. The Second Circuit returned to the Marshall Courthouse in early 2013 after renovations were completed.

Architecture

Exterior

The building has two major parts: an irregular six-story base and a square

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

with a lantern. In total, the building is tall and 37 stories. On all

elevations The elevation of a geographic ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

of the facade, the building is clad with off-white Minnesota

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

, mottled with peach and gray colors. The building's windows largely consist of single-glazed panes, coated with a blast-resistant film.

Base

Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse WTM3 NYU FC 0026

The base measures . It is six stories high, excluding the basement story. The site slopes downward to the north; as a result, there are entrances to the building's basement from Pearl Street. The facade contains a

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

of round columns on Centre Street, as well as flat

s on the other elevations. Built around three interior

s, the base is irregularly shaped, following the outline of the site. On all elevations, the first four stories are clad with rusticated granite blocks. The building's cornerstone is made of granite and contains the names of Treasury secretary Ogden L. Mills, assistant Treasury secretary Ferry K. Heath, architect

, and supervising architect James A. Wetmore. Massive granite steps flanked by large

pedestal A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

s lead up to the main entrance on Foley Square. Gilbert intended the pedestals to bear two monumental sculptural groups, but they were never executed. On Centre Street, ten quadruple-height

Corinthian column The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

s form a colonnade, behind which is the main entrance

. There are windows recessed behind this portico, as well as flat pilasters on either side of the colonnade. The words "United States Court House" are inscribed on the fifth-story

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

, which does not have any windows. The frieze is carved with a detailed floral design. The ends of the

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

above are embellished with

roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of differ ...

s, designed to resemble ancient

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

s, on which are carved the heads of four ancient lawgivers:

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

Demosthenes Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...

, and

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

. Above this entablature is a

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

with denticulated blocks. The sixth story is treated as an attic, with rectangular windows separated by pilasters. A bronze flagpole rises above the portico. On the other elevations of the base, there are pilasters topped by Corinthian capitals, which are similar to those above the columns in the portico. The pilasters face north toward Pearl Street and east toward Cardinal Hayes Place. The northeast corner of the building, facing east, is rounded off. The first floor is mostly above ground level, except at the southwestern end, where it abuts St. Andrew Church. At that location, the first floor is the same height as the ground. Above the sixth story, the base has a

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...

covering . The green roof also includes a

rainwater tank A rainwater tank (sometimes called a rain barrel in North America in reference to smaller tanks, or a water butt in the UK) is a water tank used to collect and store rain water runoff, typically from rooftops via pipes. Rainwater tanks are de ...

, which was intended to reduce the building's water consumption by 25 percent compared to a conventional building of the same size.

Tower

The tower is a square measuring . It is set back from the base parallel to the front of the building on Centre Street. On the first sixteen stories above the base (consisting of the 7th through 22nd floors), each elevation is divided vertically into multiple bays, each with one window. The bays are separated vertically by projecting piers and horizontally by rectangular

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame, between the tops of two adjacent arches, or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fil ...

panels. Above the 22nd floor, a denticulated cornice runs horizontally across all elevations of the facade. There are seven square windows on each elevation at the 23rd story. On the 24th and 25th floors, each elevation contains seven bays separated by double-height pilasters. On each elevation, each of the five central bays contains a double-height arched window, above which is a square window; the two outer bays contain narrow rectangular windows. At the 27th floor, the tower contains a small setback and is surrounded by a parapet. The setback section is marked by

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

s at the corners. Above the setback, the tower rises for three additional stories and contains five bays on each elevation. The bays are separated by triple-height

engaged column An engaged column is an architectural element in which a column is embedded in a wall and partly projecting from the surface of the wall, which may or may not carry a partial structural load. Sometimes defined as semi- or three-quarter detached ...

s designed in the

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...

, and there are two pilasters on each end of either elevation. These columns and pilasters support a cornice and a small attic. The top of the tower contains stone eagles at each corner, between which are low

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

s. The eagles and parapets surround the steep pyramidal roof. The

roof A roof (: roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of tempera ...

of the tower is

pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...

al, pitched steeply, and made of

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

clad in

gold leaf upA gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m2 (5.4 sq ft). The Japan.html" ;"title="Toi gold mine museum, Japan">Toi gold mine museum, Japan. Gold leaf is gold that has ...

. Before he was hired to design the United States Courthouse, Gilbert had designed the roof of the

New York Life Building The New York Life Building, also known as 51 Madison, is the headquarters of the New York Life Insurance Company at 51 Madison Avenue in the Rose Hill, Manhattan, Rose Hill and NoMad, Manhattan, NoMad neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York Cit ...

in a similar style. The lowest section of the roof contains a small

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...

window on each elevation. Above that are three additional levels of dormer windows. There is also a small open lantern, also gold- glazed terracotta, at the top. The base of the lantern is surrounded by a railing, while the lantern's corners and steep roof contain

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

Interior

The public interior spaces were intended as "ceremonial spaces". Under Gilbert's original plan, visitors would access these spaces in a specific order, passing through the portico, the lobby, and various hallways before reaching the courtrooms. The ceremonial spaces were then ornamented by details, such as plaster ceilings, in a particular color scheme. Gilbert died before the interior designs were finished; as a result, the interior spaces were executed in a different color palette than Gilbert had planned.

Main hall

The main hall spans the width of the building along its principal elevation on Centre Street. It is very similar in design and ornamentation to the main hall of the

United States Supreme Court building The Supreme Court Building houses the Supreme Court of the United States, the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. The building serves as the official workplace of the Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice o ...

, which Gilbert designed at the same time. Twenty-nine feet in height, it has green- and black-veined white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

floors; the white marble that lines its walls has gold- and cream-colored veining. There are double-height Ionic pilasters superimposed onto the marble walls. The ceiling is made of plaster and wood and is divided into seven rectangular,

coffer A coffer (or coffering) in architecture is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault. A series of these sunken panels was often used as decoration for a ceiling or a vault, al ...

ed sections. These coffers are separated from each other by elaborate moldings with Greek key motifs. The coffers are decorated with large

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

rosette Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

s tipped with 22-

karat The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of ''fine metal'' therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hardn ...

gold leaf on alternating backgrounds of

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red col ...

and

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

, with smaller rosettes at the junctions of the coffers. Richly ornamental

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

work surrounds many of the interior

door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide securit ...

s, including those of the

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

s. The elevator doors are made of steel, painted in a gold color; they were initially supposed to be made of brass, but these plans were changed to save money. This bronze detailing features an unusual combination of metaphorical images related to law and government, including

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

s, an erudite if somewhat obscure symbol of birth and democratic ideals. Among the other motifs are grasshoppers apparently feeding on stalks of

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

, accompanied by the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

word ''

meta Meta most commonly refers to: * Meta (prefix), a common affix and word in English ( in Greek) * Meta Platforms, an American multinational technology conglomerate (formerly ''Facebook, Inc.'') Meta or META may also refer to: Businesses * Meta (ac ...

'', meaning "to transform", which conveys the idea that change, even conflict, is essential to growth; there are also

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

s, representing

wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

, and acorns and

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

, signifying strength and endurance.

Courtrooms and offices

Variations on the decorative motifs employed within the main hall appear throughout the rest of the interior. The building contains 35 courtrooms. Sixteen are original to the courthouse: five in the base and eleven in the tower, including the historic United States Court of Appeals courtroom. Many of the smaller courtrooms have been significantly modified, but many of the larger courtrooms retain their original decorations. All have wood- paneled walls with colossal round arches and fluted Ionic pilasters; the Greek key molding seen in the main hall also frames the ceilings of the tower courtrooms. The Court of Appeals courtroom ceiling also depicts

nautical Seamanship is the art, competence, and knowledge of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topic ...

symbols. There are 11 elevators, of which four only operate to the 17th floor, the highest floor that is open to the public. The upper floors mostly contain offices, which retain little of the original decorations or layout. Within the tower, at the twenty-fifth floor, a double-height

features large ceiling beams supported by

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. They come in four main pairs of shapes, as given in the box to the right, which also gives their n ...

painted with

stencil Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object. The holes allow the pigment to reach only some parts of the surface creatin ...

ed foliate designs. The library largely retains its original design, although a balcony has been added to increase the capacity of the stacks. The library's high arched windows overlook of the Manhattan

skyline A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...

Impact

The courthouse was not unanimously well received when it was completed. Modernist architecture proponent and sociologist

Lewis Mumford Lewis Mumford (October 19, 1895 – January 26, 1990) was an American historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a ...

called it "the supreme example of pretentiousness, mediocrity, bad design and fake grandeur." Christopher Gray of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: "The total composition, seen from Foley Square, is impressive but not inspirational." On the other hand, Lee E. Cooper of the ''Times'' wrote in 1935: "This is the type of work in which the designer of the Woolworth Building took great pride," referring to how Gilbert had also designed the

Woolworth Building The Woolworth Building is a residential building and early skyscraper at 233 Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Cass Gilbert, it was the tallest building in the world f ...

nearby.

Paul Goldberger Paul Goldberger (born December 4, 1950)Brennan, Elizabeth A.; Clarage, Elizabeth C''Who's who of Pulitzer Prize winners'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Cfp.87on Paul Goldberger

of the same paper wrote that the United States Courthouse's staircase, along with that of the neighboring New York County Courthouse, "create a strong urban order that gives definition to the east side of Foley Square". The front steps of the Federal Courthouse, along with that of the neighboring New York County Courthouse, have also been used as a filming location. Court administrator Steven Flanders told ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' in 1989: "The steps are where fantasy and reality seem to merge into a spectacle that the public can't resist."

References

Notes Sources * * * *

External links

*
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
' on U.S. General Services Administration *
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
' on

CTBUH The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in Chicago, Illinois, U ...

*
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
' on Skyscraperpage.com *
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
' on

Structurae Structurae is an online database containing pictures and information about structural engineering, structural and civil engineering works, and their associated engineers, architects, and builders. Overview Structurae was founded in 1998 by Nico ...

*
Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse
'' on in-arch.net {{Head courthouses of United States courts of appeals 1930s architecture in the United States 1936 establishments in New York City Cass Gilbert buildings Civic Center, Manhattan Courthouses in New York (state) Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City Federal courthouses in the United States Government buildings completed in 1936 Government buildings in Manhattan Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Neoclassical architecture in New York City New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Office buildings completed in 1936 Skyscraper office buildings in Manhattan New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County Courthouses in New York City