Brooklyn Borough Hall | |
 (2009) | |
 | |
| Location | 209 Joralemon Street Brooklyn, New York 11201 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°41′34″N73°59′24″W / 40.69278°N 73.99000°W /40.69278; -73.99000 |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1848 |
| Architect | Calvin Pollard Gamaliel King |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002630[1] |
| NYCL No. | 0147 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 10, 1980 |
| Designated NYCL | April 19, 1966 |
Brooklyn Borough Hall is a building inDowntown Brooklyn, New York City. It was designed by architectsCalvin Pollard andGamaliel King in theGreek Revival style, and constructed ofTuckahoe marble under the supervision of superintendentStephen Haynes.
It was completed in 1848 as theCity Hall for theCity of Brooklyn. In January 1898 the independent City of Brooklyn merged with theCity of New York, and Kings County became theBorough ofBrooklyn, at which time the building became Brooklyn Borough Hall.
In 1834, the year Brooklyn was granted itscity charter, the land for Brooklyn'scity hall was donated by the Remsen and Pierrepont families, whose names are commemorated in the names of Remsen and Pierrepont Streets in nearbyBrooklyn Heights. The following year, New York architectCalvin Pollard won the commission to design the building in a contest held by the city. The foundations were dug and the cornerstone laid for this structure in 1836. However, financial hardship halted construction entirely.[2]
When funds again became available in 1845 construction resumed, this time of a structure designed byGamaliel King, who had come in second to Pollard in the city's design competition, with instructions from the city that the new building must fit inside the already laid foundation.[2] King preserved many elements of Pollard's original design and intent, including itsGreek Revival style, although the project was scaled down in size somewhat.[3] Construction was completed in 1848.
The Kings County Courthouse was built in 1868, turning this area – now known asDowntown Brooklyn – into a government center and busy area of commerce. In the 1940s, the Kings County Courthouse and other nearby buildings to the north were replaced by a complex of courthouses and a plaza in front of Borough Hall. A mall connects the building toCadman Plaza Park.[4]
On February 26, 1895, waste paper caught fire and destroyed thecupola and the statue of Justice that stood atop it,[5] as well as the top floors of the building; water damage ruined the walls and ceiling of the Common Council chamber. Three years later, a newVictoriancast-iron cupola was built, designed by Vincent C. Griffith and the firm ofStoughton and Stoughton,[3][6][7] on which was placed a flag.[4] In 1898, the city of Brooklyn wasconsolidated into thefive boroughs of New York City, and this building ceased being "City Hall" and became "Borough Hall". In 1902, the Common Council room was demolished to build a new courtroom, designed in theBeaux-Arts style by Brooklyn architectAxel Hedman.
Starting in the 1930s, there were numerous proposals to raze Borough Hall, based on arguments that it no longer performed any government function, that its architecture was not particularly notable, and that it was a monument to an extremely brief era in Brooklyn's history. In 1966, the building was designated acity landmark by the then-newNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The building was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on January 10, 1980.
In the 1980s, the building underwent a massive renovation under the supervision ofConklin & Rossant. The original copper shingling on the cupola was restored by Les metalliers Champenois, the same metalworks involved in therestoration of the Statue of Liberty, and the flag on the cupola was replaced by a new figure ofLady Justice.[4] The renovation was completed in 1989. In the mid-2010s, the plaza became a popularskate spot after a restoration.[6][7]
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