 Queens County (New York City) Criminal Courthouse Addition Criticism by Lester Paul Korzilius Published in Oculus, April 1996 The east wing addition to the Queens County Criminal Courthouse, designed by Ehrenkrantz & Eckstut, has recently finished construction. The addition connects directly to the existing postwar courthouse and primarily contains new courtrooms. Its prominent feature is a long curved glass walled gallery on the east edge of the site. Other materials are limestone and stainless steel, chosen to match existing materials. The glass-walled gallery is the public corridor for three floors of new courtrooms. Internally, the gallery works extremely well in serving the courtrooms, and in providing a dignified public environment with good views outward. Urbanistically, the addition and glass wall gallery fit in well with the surrounding context, given a curved street and small park to the east. The courthouse fronts onto Queens Blvd., a major thoroughfare, and the scale of the addition is appropriate. The detailing is well thought through and competently executed. While well detailed, the new courtrooms did not have the same vitality as the gallery. Producing good architecture for a government agency is often very difficult. To produce it for the Department of General Services is nearly a miracle. To construct it this well under the requirements of the Wick's Law is amazing. All involved in this project can be proud of the results. |