Queens General Court House

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The Queens General Court House is a historic building located at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It was built between 1936 and 1939 as part of the Public Works Administration program during the Great Depression. The building was designed by architects Alfred H. Eccles and William Welles Knowles in a Modern Classical style with Art Deco elements. The building houses various courts and offices of the Queens County government.

The building has a symmetrical plan with a central entrance pavilion flanked by two wings that extend along 88th Avenue and 148th Street. The facade is clad in limestone and features a colonnade of Ionic columns supporting an entablature and a pediment with a relief sculpture of Justice by Frederick George Richard Roth. The entrance is marked by a bronze canopy and doors with ornamental panels depicting scenes from Queens history by sculptor Charles Rudy.

The interior of the building has a spacious lobby with marble floors and walls, bronze chandeliers, murals by Vincent Aderente depicting historical events in Queens, and an elliptical staircase leading to the second floor. The second floor contains the main courtroom, which has a coffered ceiling, wood paneling, stained glass windows, and murals by Barry Faulkner depicting lawgivers throughout history.

The building was dedicated on October 26, 1939 by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who praised it as "a symbol of justice for all people". The building was designated as an individual landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on October 26, 2010.¹²

References

(1) Queens General Court House - Government of New York City. https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2404.pdf Accessed 3/5/2023. (2) Queens General Court House | HDC. https://hdc.org/buildings/queens-general-court-house/ Accessed 3/5/2023. (3) home - 11jd – Queens County Clerk's Office | NYCOURTS.GOV. https://ww2.nycourts.gov/COURTS/11jd/queensclerk/index.shtml Accessed 3/5/2023. (4) Queens Civil Court - Judiciary of New York. https://nycourts.gov/COURTS/nyc/civil/historyQueens.shtml Accessed 3/5/2023. (5) Court Information by County | NYCOURTS.GOV - Judiciary of New York. https://ww2.nycourts.gov/COURTS/nyc/criminal/generalinfo.shtml Accessed 3/5/2023.