Manhattan Appellate Courthouse (New York City, New York)

 landmark, courthouse, movie / film / TV location, historical building

3-story Italian Renaissance courthouse completed in 1900, with a 6-story annex completed in 1954. Designed by James Brown Lord, who was given a then-unheard-of budget of $700,000 to design the courthouse. Despite spending a third of the total cost on decorative features like statues and murals, he managed to complete the building under budget by over $60,000. It is remarkable for having not just relief sculptures, but full statuary.

The building is faced in white marble, with the front facade on 25th Street dominated by an imposing triangular pedimented entrance portico supported by six fluted Corinthian columns. Set within the pediment, which sits at the 3rd-floor level, is a sculpted figural group depicting the Triumph of Law. The steps leading up to the portico are flanked by sculpted figures representing Wisdom and Force. The rear wall of the portico contains five entrances with round-arched and triangular pediments. Above the triangular pediments are sculpted groups representing Morning and Night, to the left, and Noon and Evening, to the right. Balustraded windows at the 2nd floor level rise about the five entrances. Flanking the portico are four bays of tall windows with rounded and triangular pediments at the 1st floor, and large, nearly-square windows at the 2nd floor. All windows have full, heavily molded enframements.

The Madison Avenue facade is no less striking, with a 2-story flat cornice supported by four fluted Corinthian columns with balustrades between their bases. The design of the windows behind the colonnade is similar to the treatment of the openings in the rear wall of the main entrance portico. The entablature with its modillioned and dentiled cornice joins the continuous entablature above the 2nd floor on the 25th Street facade. The 3rd floor is set back slightly behind the cornice and has its own simple entablature. On the 25th Street facade is a series of pilasters marking the bays at the 3rd floor, while on the Madison Avenue facade the windows are flanked by caryatids representing the four seasons.

Above the 3rd floor is a solid roof parapet supporting statues representing great legal figures in history. These are Zoroaster, Alfred the Great, Lycurgus, Solon, Louis IX, Manu, Flavius Anicius Justinian, Confucius, and Moses. A statue of Mohammed was removed in 1955 at the request of Islamic religious leaders. Centrally placed on the parapet are allegorical figures representing Justice with Power and Study on the 25th Street facade, and Peace on the Madison Avenue facade. Altogether, on the outside, there are about 30 marble figures by 16 sculptors, the most sculptors to work on a single building in the United States.

The 25th Street entrances lead into the main hall, which functions as a lobby and waiting room with decoration by Edward E. Simmons. The walls are lined with Siena marble and subdivided into bays by fluted marble piers and pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The ornate paneled and coffered ceiling is gilded and adorned with foliate ornament. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling. The outstanding feature of the main hall is the extensive series of murals at frieze level above the marble wall facing. To the north of the main hall are ornate staircases leading to the 2nd floor.

The 6-story annex that was added to the north side in the 1950s is more subdued with little ornament, so as not to take away from the original courthouse building. It spans four bays wide, with square-headed windows. Those on the 1st floor have cornices, and a band course serves as sills for the top-floor windows.

The Manhattan Appellate Courthouse is home to the Appellate Division, First Department of the New York State Supreme Court. The court hosts over 3,000 appeals and more than 7,000 motions a year, making it one of the busiest appellate courts in the United States.

The main work of the Court involves appeals from the Supreme Court, the Surrogate's Court, and the Family Court in New York and Bronx Counties. It is one of the most important courts in New York State and has enormous significance to the legal community. It is an anchor for Madison Square, which is surrounded by early twentieth century classical style buildings. The highest court of the State of New York Meets here. It is known for its public space lobby and most importantly, it's formal "High Court" room surrounded by stained glass motifs of the Chief Justices of the court over the years as well as the stained glass rotunda. Furniture was provided by Herter Brothers.

A comprehensive restoration was conducted in 2004 by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects. The exterior was used as a filming location for White Collar S2 E14 "Payback" where Mozzie describes a mystery phone call. Neal and Diana later meet in Madison Square Park along the Metropolitan Life buildings.

www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/resources/man_appellatecourt...
www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad1/courtinfo/AboutTheCourt.sht...
daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2010/09/1899-appellate-c...
archive.org/details/gri_33125006699736/page/n127/mode/2...
archive.org/details/sim_architectural-record_1902-04_11...
www.pbdw.com/pbdw/projects/appellate-courthouse/



www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbZhyQ0op-w&ab_channel=Clas...