Bronx County Hall of Justice

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]

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

Construction

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] 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.[7]

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.[8]

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

References