New York County Courthouse

The New York County Courthouse at sixty Centre Street presents a striking hexagonal shape that distinguishes it from almost every other major civic building in the city. Architect Guy Lowell originally envisioned a massive circular design for the project, but the realities of budget constraints and the interruptions of the First World War forced him to pivot to this unique, space-efficient hexagonal form. The building opened in nineteen twenty-seven, serving as a replacement for the older Tweed Courthouse nearby. Its grand granite exterior and soaring Corinthian columns were intended to project an image of unwavering stability and classical authority at a time when the city was rapidly modernizing.