Long Island City Courthouse

Long Island City Courthouse Complex
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Long Island City Courthouse
Location	25-10 Court Sq., Long Island City, New York
Coordinates
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1876
Architect	Hathorne, George; Coco, Peter M.
Architectural style	Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Neo-English Renaissance
NRHP Reference #	83001776
Added to NRHP	September 26, 1983

The Long Island City Courthouse is located at 25-10 Court Square in Long Island City, Queens, in New York City. It formerly housed Criminal Court, County Court, the District Attorney staff, and the county sheriff's office. Today the Courthouse is another home to the Civil Term of Supreme Court, Queens County, which also sits in Jamaica. It has been managed for the past 20 years by Chief Clerk Mark Finkelstein. The courthouse was originally designed by the architect George Hathorne and built in 1874. It was remodeled and enlarged by Peter M. Coco in 1904 after a fire destroyed a portion of it. It was considered to be one of the most important buildings in Queens County.

In its remodeling the building was raised from two stories to four stories in order to accommodate the needs of the court. The courthouse is designed in what has been variously described as a Neo-English Renaissance, neoclassical, or Beaux Arts architectural style and is made of stone, ceramic tile, limestone, and metal. Two jails were formerly part of the complex, but were replaced by a parking garage in 1988. The parking structure was designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

The Long Island City Courthouse complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was designated a New York City landmark in 1976.

The location was decided on as the Queens County Seat moved from Jamaica to Long Island City, due to access to nearby train lines.

Further reading

• Long Island City Courthouse at www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com
• Renovation Article at Queens Chronicle
• Brief but informative information of Queens Landmarks by Queens Tribune

An article in Newsday written by staff writer Geoffrey Mohan gives an interesting historical account of the relocation of the Queens County Courthouse from Garden City Park, Nassau County, and then to Long Island City, and refers to this relocation as one of decades of controversy, and possible reasons contributing to county secession.

The courthouse and its surrounding complex has undergone rejuvenation and renovations in the past few years.

Liz Skalka, a Chronicle correspondent, reported on August 24, 2006 that: "The ornate courthouse began undergoing repairs in May that included renovations on its brick exterior and new roofing on the main building and its wings. Both are to protect against water damage. A prominent third floor courtroom, noted for its two story stained glass ceiling, is also being restored, and will receive new wooden flooring similar to its original. The entire project is expected to take about a year."

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens County, New York