John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse
as seen from Central Wharf (2017)
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Federal Courthouse
Address	1 Courthouse Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 United States
Elevation	4 feet (1.2 m) Above mean sea level
Current tenants	• United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit • United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
Completed	1999
Cost	$170 million
Owner	United States Federal Government
Technical details
Floor count	10
Floor area	675,000 square feet (62,700 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Structural engineer	LeMessurier Consultants
Main contractor	Clark Construction Group, Inc

The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse is a federal courthouse for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, located on Fan Pier on the Boston, Massachusetts waterfront. Named after Congressman Joe Moakley, the 675,000-square-foot (62,700 m²) building was completed in 1999 at a cost of $170 million and has won many design awards.

The courthouse is served by a stop on Boston's Silver Line. It was also formerly served by MBTA Boat service.

Details

The courthouse serves as headquarters for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The building houses two courtrooms for the Court of Appeals and 25 courtrooms for the District Court, as well as 40 judges' chambers, a Circuit law library, the office of a United States Congressman, offices for the United States Attorney, extensive support facilities for the United States Marshals service and Pre-Trial and Probation services, as well as a day-care facility. The 675,000-square-foot (62,700 m²) building, clad in water-struck brick with granite trim, has ten floors above grade and one below.

It was the first major project to be awarded as part of the United States Court Design Guidelines and incorporates General Services Administration's goals for imparting dignity and social significance, while creating modern and innovative justice architecture.

Public access to the courtrooms is provided through a sequence of spaces — Entrance Hall, Rotunda, Great Hall, and Galleries. Twenty-one large-scale paintings were commissioned from Ellsworth Kelly and are installed in these areas.

The courtrooms themselves are distinguished by a motif of large arches defined by wood moldings and stenciled ornament.

The sub-basement houses an ice storage air conditioning system which uses half-price electricity at night to freeze water, which is then used to cool the courthouse during hot days. This saves an estimated $1.5 million per year, and helps load-balance the regional electricity grid.

Design team

• Design Architect – Henry N. Cobb and Ian Bader of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, New York
• Interior Design – Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, New York
• Executive Architect – Jung Brannen Associates, Boston, Massachusetts
• Structural Engineer – LeMessurier Consultants, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• General Contractor – Clark Construction Group, Inc
• Mechanical/Electrical Engineer – Cosentini Associates LLP, New York, New York
• Courts Design Consultant – Gruzen Samton, New York, New York
• Landscape Architect – OLIN, Philadelphia, PA, and Carol R. Johnson & Associates, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Design awards

• 2000 National Endowment for the Arts: Presidential Design Awards: Federal Design Achievement
• 1999 American Institute of Architects: District of Columbia Chapter: Award of Merit
• 1999 Dupont Benedictus Award for Innovation in Architectural Laminated glass
• 1999 Saflex Safe & Sound Award: First Annual Award for the Use of Laminated Glass in Design
• 1997 American Institute of Architects / Brick Institute of America: Brick in Architecture Award
• 1997 General Services Administration: Honor Award for Design