Federal Building Eastern District Courthouse

Northwest corner of Tillary and Adams Street in Brooklyn

Floors: 14
Construction started: February 2000
Opening : 2002
Architects: Cesar Pelli & Associates and HLW International L.L.P

In 2000 construction began on the new Federal Court complex on Tillary and Adams Streets in Downtown Brooklyn. The project is comprised of two components. A new Eastern District courthouse is being built on the north side of Tillary Street. It will provide 12 district courtrooms, five magistrate courtrooms and chambers for 17 judges.

The second part of the project is the adaptive reuse of the former General Post Office on the south side of Tillary Street. Originally constructed as a federal courthouse, this landmark building will be restored and it will house courtrooms and offices for the United States Bankruptcy Court, the new headquarters for the United States Attorney for the Eastern District and a newly refurbished retail branch of the U.S. Postal Service.

NEW U.S. COURTHOUSE

The new Federal Courthouse will be located in the Civic Center of downtown Brooklyn, visible from the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, lower Manhattan and surrounding neighborhoods. It will be constructed on the site if the former Emanuel Cellar building was razed in 1998.

The project is comprised of three architectural elements: the 6-story existing courthouse; a 6-story connecting entry hall, which includes the main building entrance, lobby and cross-building connectors; and the new courthouse, a 14-story, limestone-clad tower. The combined building elements will function as the new court complex.

The new $222 million building will ultimately house 16 District courtrooms, nine Magistrate courtrooms and 29 judges' chambers. The building will open in 2002 with 12 District Courtrooms, for Magistrate courtrooms, one Arraignment courtroom and 17 judges' chambers. To provide for both current needs and beyond, areas to be occupied by future courtrooms and chambers will initially house the U.S. Probation Department, which will be relocated from the building, as additional court space is needed. The courtrooms and chambers are arranged in a collegial layout with a single chambers floor located between two court floors. This layout reduces the size if the floorplate, creating a more tapered building profile. The smaller Magistrate floors, located in the upper tower, allow the building to be setback at the top. The Courthouse will also house a U.S. Court of Appeals Library, offices for the District Court Clerk, the Pretrial Services Agency and the U.S. Marshals Service. The building will include a food service facility and a Jury Assembly area, as well a below ground parking.

Designed by HLW International L.L.P and Cesar Pelli and Associates

U.S. POST OFFICE AND COURTHOUSE

To renew its former commanding presence in the civic life of Brooklyn, approximately 85,000 square feet of space are being deftly inserted into the National Historic Landmark General Post Office, and the interior of the existing space will be completely renovated. Originally completed in 1892, and significantly expanded in 1933, this Romanesque Revival building will serve as a Federal Courthouse and Post Office. By building into portions of the interior courtyard of the 1933 addition, this $161 million project will provide a spacious new mezzanine, four new courtrooms on the second and third floors, and40,000 square feet of efficient office space on the upper floors that will house the U.S. Attorney's office. The U.S. Postal Service will occupy newly renovated space in order to continue to provide retail sales of postal products and mail delivery service to the downtown community.
Significant historic elements are being restored while new elements are being carefully integrated into the historic fabric to introduce maximum natural light. Original wood and marble are being cleaned and restored and original paint colors and patterns are being replicated. To determine the original paint colors, successive layers of paint are being removed in a series of test "windows" until the original surf-ace is revealed. A new monumental flight of steps, scaled to the existing building and overlooking a block-long public park, will connect the building's three entrances to the street.

Designed by R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects

ABOUT THE BUILDERS

THE OWNER
The US. General Services Administration was created in 1949 as a centralized Federal procurement and property management agency whose primary objective was to save taxpayers' money. It has evolved from a mandatory supplier of space and supplies for Federal civilian agencies to a non-mandatory provider of competitively priced quality office space, commercial products and professional, state-of-the-art services to the civilian and military workforce.

PROGRAM/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
URS and O'Brien-Kreitzberg, in joint venture, are providing Program and Construction Management services for the Project. URS provides a full range of construction and program management, planning, architectural and engineering design services worldwide. The firm is ranked among the largest and most successful architectural and engineering firms in the nation as fisted in Engineering News Record. O'Brien-Kreitzberg is one of the nation's oldest and largest construction management firms and is ranked by ENR as the largest program/construction management firm in the country.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Jones-GM0 combines the resources of Crow/Jones Construction Company, founded in 1840, with those of GMO International the construction management firm created by Gene McGovern in 1993, and Knightsbridge Interiors, GMO's interiors construction division. Jones-GM0 is part of J.A- Jones Inc., a major construction company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina with more than 1,700 personnel.

THE ARCHITECTS
HLW International LLP is a full service architectural and engineering firm established in 1885. HLW, has produced a broad range of projects, including numerous government buildings, research facilities, high-rise commercial and residential projects, graphic and broadcast media, and corporate interiors.

Cesar Pelli & Associates is a full service architectural practice. The American Institute of Architects awarded the firm its 1989 Firm Award, the highest honor the Institute bestows on a firm for consistently distinguished architecture. Cesar Pelli received the Gold Medal from the AIA in 1995, the highest honor that the AIA can bestow on an individual.

R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects is a woman-owned partnership founded in New York City in 1972. The firm has received 39 design awards, including the 1997 Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects; the 1998 Medal of Honor from the New York Chapter AIA, the highest honor the Chapter bestows on a firm, also for distinguished architecture; and four National AIA Honor Awards for Excellence in Architectural Design.

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