NEWS: Queens Landmark being restored!
From the Queens Chronicle:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17105520&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574903&rfi=6
Storied Courthouse Undergoes Restoration
by Liz Skalka , Chronicle Correspondent
A timeless Queens landmark is getting a $4.4 million facelift.
The Long Island City Courthouse at Thomson Avenue and Court Square was completed in 1876 and today houses the Queens branch of the New York State Supreme Court. The 59,300 square foot, four story building was redesigned and partially rebuilt following a fire in 1904.
The ornate courthouse began undergoing repairs in May that included renovations on its brick exterior and new roofing on the main building and its wings. Both are to protect against water damage.
A prominent third floor courtroom, noted for its two story stained glass ceiling, is also being restored, and will receive new wooden flooring similar to its original. The entire project is expected to take about a year.
The original courthouse, designed by architect George Hathorne, was only two stories and about half the size of the current building. It was later redesigned by Long Island architect Peter Coco in a neoclassical style using a variety of decorative flourishes.
The facade is currently covered in cloth sheathed scaffolding. Beyond the scaffolding, four columns support small balconies surrounding the stone archway at the building’s entrance. Scrolls resting atop the columns hold representations of helmeted heads. Each window is framed by intricately carved stone.
The inside of the courthouse is equally impressive, featuring a spiraling marble staircase with carved black banisters leading to the courtrooms.
“I felt the entrance was very classical,” noted Queens Historical Society curator Richard Houran. “It doesn’t overwhelm you. The proportions are wonderful.”