Court Square Building

 office building, administrative building, high-rise, Neoclassical (architecture), local government, movie / film / TV location, 1926_construction

282-foot, 24-story Neo-Classical office building completed in 1926. Designed by Buchman & Kahn, it houses many city agencies, including the Department for the Aging. The City assumed the title of the building in January 1981, even though it has housed municipal offices since the 1960s. The building has an interesting shape, with five main facades, wrapping around the Jones Building and following the angle of Lafayette Street.

The 3-story base has wide, fluted limestone piers on granite bases, each with a capital decorated by three rosettes. The piers divide the base into three bays on Elk Street, nine on Reade Street, a single angled bay at the southeast corner, five on Lafayette Street, and four on Duane Street. The ground floor is lined with storefronts (those at and to the right of the angled corner are recessed), and the main entrance in the center bay on Lafayette Street, framed in grey granite. The infill between the piers on the 2nd-3rd floors is black cast-iron, with three windows per floor in each bay, and paneled spandrels with carved ornament. The 4th floor is transitional, also clad in limestone, with two evenly-spaced windows corresponding to the defined bays below. This floor is crowned by an intricate carved stone band course.

The upper floors are clad in buff-colored brick with the same evenly-spaced windows as on the 4th floor. Continuous sill courses join the windows at the 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, & 15th floors. The 16th floor is clad in limestone, with small cartouche ornament between each window, and a stone cornice across the top of the floor. The 17th-19th floors are again clad in brick, and have carved spandrel panels. A stone cornice sets off the 20th floor, which is clad in stone, below a projecting stone cornice with small gargoyles. The 21st floor, clad in brick, rises above this cornice. Three smaller penthouse floors are set back from the building line, and aligned with Reade Street, so that they appear at an angle to the Lafayette and Duane facades.

The exterior of the building was used as a filming location for White Collar S01 E07 "Free Fall" where Neal jumps out of a supposed courthouse window onto a bakery awning in order to avoid trial. The nearby subway station and adjacent New York Sun Building can be seen in the background in several shots.

The ground floor is occupied by a shoe repair shop, Isak salon, Corte Cafe, Municipal Credit Union, and Albella restaurant.