Image via Complex Original
Often used as the backdrop for sequences from Law and Order and other NYC-based television crime dramas, the imposing skyscraper of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse at 40 Foley Square can also be seen easily in the city skyline from across the river in Brooklyn. The neoclassical structure is composed of two distinct parts: a traditional horizontal colonnaded base and a slender tower rising from its middle. Seen from afar, the tower seems to belong to a different structure than what you frequently see on your TV screen, mainly because the base is all that fits into the framed shot.
The Facade's Images
Designed by the prominent architect Cass Gilbert, the building was commissioned in 1931, and its construction took about four years to complete. The six-story courthouse base has a plastered facade in addition to a Corinthian colonnade that includes small engraved U.S. eagles. Massive steps of granite lead to the entrance recessed beyond the columns. The facade is made completely of an off-white Minnesota granite that is mottled with peaches and grays. Above the columns at the ends of the entablature are embellished roundels, designed to look like coins, with the carved images of the four ancient lawmen, Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, and Moses.
The Gold Pyramid Roof
The 30-story tower rises over 590-feet and is set back from the base. Near the top, it steps back and is capped with a smaller series of ionic-ordered engaged columns. The roof is a gold-leafed pyramid with a small open golden lantern on the top. A few copper and gold windows peak through the sides of the pyramid, in addition to a small dormer with pediment. The corners of the roof are flanked by eagles with their wings outstretched.
The Tower
The tower was the last building to be designed by Gilbert, as he died during its construction. The courtroom interiors share some resemblance to the U.S. Supreme Court in DC, also designed by Gilbert around the same time. It was one of the first federally-owned skyscrapers to be constructed.
The Court Becomes a Landmark
In 1987, the building was listed with the National Register of Historic Places and designated a NYC landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. In 2001, by congressional decree, the building was officially renamed in honor of Thurgood Marshall, who had worked in these very halls before being elevated to the Supreme Court.