Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings) Forum

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Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:13 pm

Will be clerking in flyover, in what appears to be a rather ordinary building. Oh well. But it got me thinking, what are the beautiful/interesting/best courthouses in the land? From modern and sleek to classic and somber to office park or bland dystopia from the regrettable post-war era, tell us about yours!

moon123

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by moon123 » Sun Apr 25, 2021 3:25 pm

From the ones I have been to, I liked the courthouses in Austin, Cedar Rapids, Boston, and Phoenix (terrible in the summer) the most. The new San Antonio courthouse is suppose to be very pretty, but I have not seen it.

I have seen both the Tuscaloosa and Corpus Christi courthouses and I was not impressed. Most of the courthouses in major cities are rather old.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Iowahawk » Sun Apr 25, 2021 4:52 pm

Dirksen in Chicago is probably one of the few that's a significant piece of architecture in its own right, though whether you like it will depend on whether you like van der Rohe. The new one in Des Moines is really ugly and sparked a lot of backlash from the business community and local government. The Eagleton one in St. Louis is also pretty bad and it's the biggest courthouse in the country.

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HenryHankPalmer

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by HenryHankPalmer » Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:04 pm

Dallas is pretty drab and dystopic. The courtrooms themselves are fine, but the exterior and most of the common areas are depressing.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by rhododactylos » Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:35 pm

The Browning Courthouse in San Francisco feels more like a European palace than a courthouse. It's probably the most ornate federal building in the country.

The other 9th Circuit HQ, the Chambers Courthouse in Pasadena, is a quirky former hotel and is getting a little tired inside, but the grounds and gardens are beautiful.

The DC Circuit's courthouse feels like a cheap, dated municipal department of revenue building.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Apr 25, 2021 8:45 pm

The worst one I've been to is the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse in Orange County. The architecture and furnishings are awful, and when I was there a few years ago it was surrounded by a tent city with hundreds of homeless people.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:02 pm

The James Byrne Courthouse in Philly is shabby and very dated, inside and out. Some of the chambers have incredible views of Independence Hall, though.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by theswisswereright » Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:14 pm

Utah's federal courthouse is really interesting. I think it won an architecture award, but the folks who work there call it "The Box."

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:52 pm

Does anyone have thoughts on the courthouse in Minneapolis?

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by ExperssioUnius » Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:58 pm

theswisswereright wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:14 pm
Utah's federal courthouse is really interesting. I think it won an architecture award, but the folks who work there call it "The Box."
If your office comes with a window in that courthouse, you've got a 75% chance of a great view. And, it is fairly new.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Fireworks2016 » Mon Apr 26, 2021 8:50 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:52 pm
Does anyone have thoughts on the courthouse in Minneapolis?
It’s skyway-connected, and fairly modern, if a bit sterile. I like it.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:00 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 9:02 pm
The James Byrne Courthouse in Philly is shabby and very dated, inside and out. Some of the chambers have incredible views of Independence Hall, though.
I thought it was fascinating, truth be told. The interior is maze-like, and the upper floors have truly fantastic views of the city (along with some semi-abandoned offices, which are great places to get work done).

Byrne is also one of those buildings where a "shabby and very dated" chambers on one floor has been renovated into something sleek and ultra-modern on the floor above.

Our home base was the Frank Lautenberg post office and courthouse in Newark, which must have one of the starkest divides between gorgeous and ornate public areas (the post office itself; the main court floor) and dilapidated private areas (oh god, the bathrooms) out there.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Prudent_Jurist » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:44 am

moon123 wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 3:25 pm
Phoenix (terrible in the summer)
For real. I don’t know what possessed them to build a glass-enclosed atrium in the middle of the desert.

The state courthouse in Santa Barbara, CA is absolutely gorgeous Spanish-style architecture. It’s a courthouse you’d actually want to get married at.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:40 am

moon123 wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 3:25 pm
From the ones I have been to, I liked the courthouses in Austin, Cedar Rapids, Boston, and Phoenix (terrible in the summer) the most. The new San Antonio courthouse is suppose to be very pretty, but I have not seen it.

I have seen both the Tuscaloosa and Corpus Christi courthouses and I was not impressed. Most of the courthouses in major cities are rather old.
The Corpus one is fairly new—opened in 2000—and sits just across the Bay. It’s gorgeous. Maybe you saw the courthouse before the 2000 move?

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Apr 27, 2021 11:02 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:13 pm
Will be clerking in flyover, in what appears to be a rather ordinary building. Oh well. But it got me thinking, what are the beautiful/interesting/best courthouses in the land? From modern and sleek to classic and somber to office park or bland dystopia from the regrettable post-war era, tell us about yours!
Northern District in Cleveland is really nice, newly renovated building w/ a great cafeteria.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:40 pm

What’s the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse like? Seems beautiful but is it functional/nice chambers/offices?

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:39 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:40 pm
What’s the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse like? Seems beautiful but is it functional/nice chambers/offices?
I like it. It feels very austere and formal. You feel like a real, fancy lawyer when you walk into one of the courtrooms. It's a sharp contrast to the EDNY courthouse, which is much more modern and I think boring.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:28 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:40 pm
What’s the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse like? Seems beautiful but is it functional/nice chambers/offices?
The public areas are stunning. Chambers aren't massive but totally adequate; I had no problem with my working area. As far as aesthetics, some judges do them up more than others, but all the ones I've seen were at least "nice," and a few were way more than nice. Great views from the higher floors, too.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:57 pm

I'll plug Austin again. Beautifully done courthouse, and in a good location downtown. Only problem is the parking situation, and even that isn't too bad.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Fri Apr 30, 2021 12:31 pm

Iowahawk wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 4:52 pm
Dirksen in Chicago is probably one of the few that's a significant piece of architecture in its own right, though whether you like it will depend on whether you like van der Rohe. The new one in Des Moines is really ugly and sparked a lot of backlash from the business community and local government. The Eagleton one in St. Louis is also pretty bad and it's the biggest courthouse in the country.
Any specific reasons why you think the Eagleton one is bad?

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by GoneSouth » Sat May 01, 2021 6:44 pm

rhododactylos wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:35 pm
The Browning Courthouse in San Francisco feels more like a European palace than a courthouse. It's probably the most ornate federal building in the country.

The other 9th Circuit HQ, the Chambers Courthouse in Pasadena, is a quirky former hotel and is getting a little tired inside, but the grounds and gardens are beautiful.

The DC Circuit's courthouse feels like a cheap, dated municipal department of revenue building.
Wholeheartedly agree on both Ninth Circuit courthouses. The SF one is on a completely different level from any other federal building I’ve ever been in.

The new district court courthouse in Los Angeles is pretty nice—it looks like a big glass cube from the outside and is very sleek and modern inside

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by lavarman84 » Sat May 01, 2021 7:52 pm

GoneSouth wrote:
Sat May 01, 2021 6:44 pm
rhododactylos wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:35 pm
The Browning Courthouse in San Francisco feels more like a European palace than a courthouse. It's probably the most ornate federal building in the country.

The other 9th Circuit HQ, the Chambers Courthouse in Pasadena, is a quirky former hotel and is getting a little tired inside, but the grounds and gardens are beautiful.

The DC Circuit's courthouse feels like a cheap, dated municipal department of revenue building.
Wholeheartedly agree on both Ninth Circuit courthouses. The SF one is on a completely different level from any other federal building I’ve ever been in.

The new district court courthouse in Los Angeles is pretty nice—it looks like a big glass cube from the outside and is very sleek and modern inside
The SF courthouse is incredible. It's too bad the neighborhood around it is kind of terrible.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Mon May 03, 2021 9:38 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
Fri Apr 30, 2021 12:31 pm
Iowahawk wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 4:52 pm
Dirksen in Chicago is probably one of the few that's a significant piece of architecture in its own right, though whether you like it will depend on whether you like van der Rohe. The new one in Des Moines is really ugly and sparked a lot of backlash from the business community and local government. The Eagleton one in St. Louis is also pretty bad and it's the biggest courthouse in the country.
Any specific reasons why you think the Eagleton one is bad?
It certainly doesn't stack up to Pawnee

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by shoebox » Tue May 04, 2021 3:16 pm

lavarman84 wrote:
Sat May 01, 2021 7:52 pm
GoneSouth wrote:
Sat May 01, 2021 6:44 pm
rhododactylos wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:35 pm
The Browning Courthouse in San Francisco feels more like a European palace than a courthouse. It's probably the most ornate federal building in the country.

The other 9th Circuit HQ, the Chambers Courthouse in Pasadena, is a quirky former hotel and is getting a little tired inside, but the grounds and gardens are beautiful.

The DC Circuit's courthouse feels like a cheap, dated municipal department of revenue building.
Wholeheartedly agree on both Ninth Circuit courthouses. The SF one is on a completely different level from any other federal building I’ve ever been in.

The new district court courthouse in Los Angeles is pretty nice—it looks like a big glass cube from the outside and is very sleek and modern inside
The SF courthouse is incredible. It's too bad the neighborhood around it is kind of terrible.
"Kind of" is doing a lot of work there.

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Re: Best and Worst Courthouse (buildings)

Post by Anonymous User » Wed May 05, 2021 1:59 am

GoneSouth wrote:
Sat May 01, 2021 6:44 pm
rhododactylos wrote:
Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:35 pm
The Browning Courthouse in San Francisco feels more like a European palace than a courthouse. It's probably the most ornate federal building in the country.

The other 9th Circuit HQ, the Chambers Courthouse in Pasadena, is a quirky former hotel and is getting a little tired inside, but the grounds and gardens are beautiful.

The DC Circuit's courthouse feels like a cheap, dated municipal department of revenue building.
Wholeheartedly agree on both Ninth Circuit courthouses. The SF one is on a completely different level from any other federal building I’ve ever been in.

The new district court courthouse in Los Angeles is pretty nice—it looks like a big glass cube from the outside and is very sleek and modern inside
The new CACD 1st Street Courthouse in Los Angeles is so nice. Extremely light and airy on the inside; very nice chambers. All the more striking is that it is caddycorner to the LA Superior Court Stanley Mosk Courthouse which is, well, not light and airy on the inside.

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