DESCRIPTION

The design pioneered innovative ways to squeezing large program spaces into tight urban spaces by proposing vertical solutions for judicial complexes. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) and completed in 1996, this 27-story granite and marble tower at 500 Pearl Street asserts its presence among the historic courthouses of Foley Square, including Cass Gilbert’s Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse and Guy Lowell’s New York County Courthouse. The courthouse’s design harmonizes with its monumental neighbors while asserting its own identity. Its verticality and materiality resonate with the classical traditions of courthouse architecture, yet its modern detailing and proportions reflect a contemporary interpretation of institutional gravitas. The building houses 44 courtrooms and nearly one million square feet of space, accommodating the complex functions of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

 

For Dan, this project became the first introduction of the complexities of how to unify original design intent to the final construction project detailing. Photo credits: Dan Chong