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Bronx County Hall of Justice

Coordinates: 40°49′34.2″N 73°55′9.3″W / 40.826167°N 73.919250°W / 40.826167; -73.919250
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Bronx County Hall of Justice
Map
General information
Location40°49′34.2″N 73°55′9.3″W / 40.826167°N 73.919250°W / 40.826167; -73.919250
Address265 East 161st Street
Town or cityBronx, New York City
CountryUnited States
Construction started2001
Completed2008
Cost$421 million
Design and construction
Architect(s)Rafael Viñoly

The Bronx County Hall of Justice is a courthouse at 265 East 161st Street, between Sherman and Morris Avenues in the Concourse section of the Bronx in New York City. The ten-story, 775,000-square-foot (72,000 m2) building includes 47 New York Supreme Court and New York City Criminal Court courtrooms, 7 grand jury rooms, and office space for the New York City Department of Correction, the New York City Department of Probation, and the district attorney.[1]

Construction

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The steel and glass building was designed by Rafael Viñoly. Construction began on August 14, 2001, with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani attending a breaking ground ceremony.[2][3] Topping out was November 5, 2002.[3] Sources differ on the completion date, variously stating 2006, 2007, or 2008.[1][4][5] Originally planned as a four year construction job with a budget of $325 million, the project ended up taking six years and cost $421 million. The original contractor was suspected of having connections to organized crime and disqualified. There were problems with the underground parking garage, and the air conditioning system.[5][6] Court officers complained that the courthouse was sinking, and it was temporarily shut down in 2009 as several windows cracked or broke due to the building settling.[7]

The New York City capital commitment plan for fiscal year 2015 also included $35.3 million for post-construction work to repair and fix items that were not properly installed during the initial construction.[8] The building nevertheless remains prone to window breaks, floor collapses, and flooding that closes the six basement courtrooms.[9]

The building was originally designed to be 30 stories tall, including retail space. That design was discarded after the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed in 1995.[6] Other influences of the bombing include explosive-resistant glass, a bulletproof lobby, and locating the underground garage beneath the pedestrian plaza instead of the building itself.[10]

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  • "A Look at the New Bronx Hall of Justice -- New York Magazine - Nymag". New York Magazine. January 31, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2023.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Bronx Hall of Justice - Department of Citywide Administrative Services". www1.nyc.gov. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Williams, Timothy (April 22, 2007). "Opening a Courthouse, Overdue and Over Budget". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Bronx County Hall of Justice, New York City | 209033 | EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Bronx County Hall of Justice - New York Courts". e-architect. January 15, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "New York Architecture Photos: Bronx County Hall of Justice". NewYorkitecture. May 12, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Williams, Timothy (April 22, 2007). "Opening a Courthouse, Overdue and Over Budget". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Buffa, Denise (March 19, 2009). "Bronx Courthouse Shut Down". New York Post.
  8. ^ Wright, Eisha N. (March 27, 2015). Report on the Fiscal 2016 Preliminary Budget: Courts and Legal Aid Society / Indigent Defense Services (PDF). New York City Council Finance Division. p. 12.
  9. ^ Smith, Greg (February 21, 2022). "The Bronx Hall of Justice is Falling Apart and No One Knows How to Stop It". The City.
  10. ^ "Lehman College Art Gallery: Architecture/Bronx County Hall of Justice". www.lehman.edu. Retrieved September 1, 2020.