New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-01
COURTHOUSE EXTENSION, BROOKLYN.

are built with recesscs between them so as to
give windows on three sides. 1t was the recon-
mendation of Chief Judge Clement, Of the City
Court. that this same arrangement should be
continued in the Of the new courtrooms,
and il was adopted by the architect. The plans
were made by Daniel Ryan, the superintendent
Of Construction and Repairs. employed by the
Board Of Supervisors and were fled with the
Supervisors on May 2
Additional room is needed in the courthouse,
In particular. because a place must be provided
for the Appellate Division, which will take the
place of the General Term Of the Supreme Court
on January /. At that tine. too. the Judges OF
the City Court will become Supreme Court JUS
tices. The Appellate Court room will be on the
second story Of the extension in the southeast
corner. From this the clerks office will open,
and the west side Of the building VIII be the
Judges room for the Appellate Division and the
private room OF the Judges of the Supreme Court
on the first story two new cOCrtrooms VIII be
provided, one for the Special Term OF the
Supreme Court and the other for the second
part of the County Court.
AS there Is no likelihood that the extension will
be completed by the beginning of 1886. rooms for
the Appellate Division viii doubtless have to be
provided somewhere else, and it is an open ques-
ton whether some of the present courtrooms
can be used during the work on the extension
owing 10 the noise that will be made by the work
men After January !. however, the SUPERVISORS
room will ~ longer be needed for its present pur-
pose and IL is possible that IL will prove available
for the Appellate Court But there Is another
plan under consideration for dispOsing Of that
room; namely, to transfer Justice Neu's First
District Court thither from the room IL now oc-
cuples in the City Hal. which Is TO be given up
Tor other uses
Some of the Judges sitting in the courthouse
have been so greatly disturbed by the dumping
OF coal In the cellar. and in the cellars of ad-
jacent buildings. that the workmen have been
forced To stop by orders from the bench, APP
parenily at the risk Of being declared In con-
tempt. The sound Of trowel and hammer, there
fore, Is likely to render two or three OF the pres
ent courtrooms unavailable for a time. II the
work could have been got under way at the be-
ginning Of June q good deal Of inconvenience
would have been Obviated
Besides the extension Of the courthouse, plans
are under way for renovating II in other respects
1t greatly needs thorough overhauling. and II
would be a creditable thing If the Board Of Super
visors had managed things In such a way to
turn IL to the custody Of the city in irs-cass
condition. But IL is now too late to have the
work finished by the end Of the year The in
terror OF the building il gloomy and often foul
When the courthouse was built thirty years ago
little if any attention. was given To ventilation or
to proper sanitary appliances. The rotunda I'M
der the dome and the corridors are used a
Longing place. especially during the cold
weather and the atmosphere often becomes al
most uncomfortable. The interior of the dome has
not been cleaned in years. The pavement Of the
main corridor is composed Of two kinds OF
marble, which have worn unevenly so that the
surface is painfully irregular. II greatly needs
renewal.
The courthouse was built between 1862 and
1865 and first used in the latter year The
first tried in II was heard In the City Court
by Judge Reynolds. The building has an orna-
mental front Of marble. with Cornthian columns
But for the dome, which rises to "A height OF over
100 feet. ii would present . squatty appearance
The cost Of the courthouse was about 100000.