The Robert H. Jackson United States Courthouse is a U.S. Federal courthouse located in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. The building occupies a full block of Delaware Avenue at

Niagara Square Niagara Square is a public square located at the intersections of Delaware Avenue, Court Street, Genesee Street, and Niagara Street in Buffalo, New York. It is the central hub of Joseph Ellicott's original radial street pattern that he designed ...

, directly across from the Statler Towers and adjacent to

Buffalo City Hall Buffalo City Hall is the seat for municipal government in the City of Buffalo, New York. Located at 65 Niagara Square, the 32-story Art Deco building was completed in 1931 by Dietel, Wade & Jones. The building is one of the largest and talle ...

. The building features secure indoor parking for 54 vehicles, a glass entry pavilion that has all 4,536 words of the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

etched into the glass, and is topped off by a glass enclosure meant to resemble a glowing lantern when illuminated.

Construction

The courthouse replaced a block of structures previously occupying the site, the most notable being the 1927 Erlanger theater building built by

Statler Hotels The Statler Hotel company was one of the United States' early chains of hotels catering to traveling businessmen and tourists. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton (E. M.) Statler in Buffalo, New York. Early ventures In 1901, Buffalo hosted the ...

. Although expected to be opened by July 2010, construction of the building had been held back a year following concerns regarding the glass panel façade and a moisture problem. Federal officials opened the courthouse in November 2011. Upon completion, the building was the most expensive government building in the history of

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY in ...

. The building replaced the Michael J. Dillon Courthouse as Buffalo's primary federal courthouse, and is currently home to the U.S. District Court, Court of Appeals, U.S. Probation, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Attorney and GSA. The building was designed and constructed to achieve a

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

-NC Gold certification through the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...

. The courthouse pavilion lobby contains monumental colored glass panels designed by Buffalo-area native

Robert Mangold Robert Mangold (born October 12, 1937) is an American minimalist artist. He is also father of film director and screenwriter James Mangold. Early life and education Mangold was born in North Tonawanda, New York. His mother, Blanche, was a ...

, a major figure in the geometric abstraction movement. The building won the 2011 Award for Design and Manufacturing Excellence from the Architectural Precast Association.

Naming

In December, 2011 Congressman

Brian Higgins Brian Michael Higgins (born October 6, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 2005. The district, numbered as the 27th district from 2005 to 2013 but as the 26th since 2013, includes Buffalo and Ni ...

introduced a bill, naming the courthouse for

Robert H. Jackson Robert Houghwout Jackson (February 13, 1892 – October 9, 1954) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Unit ...

, the only Western New Yorker to serve as

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight Associate Justice of the Supreme ...

. The

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

H.R.3556 was voted on and approved on July 23, 2012, and became law on October 5 2012. The Jackson Courthouse name on the building was unveiled at a ceremony on September 30, 2013.

Gallery

Image:Buffalo Federal Courthouse Construction.JPG, Clearing the site, 2008 Image:Buff fed courthouse sign.JPG, Project Information Sign Image:Robert H. Jackson CH.jpg, View from Niagara Square Image:BuffFederalCourtHouseMangold.jpg, Glass pavilion in front of the building Image:Robert H. Jackson United States Courthouse 1.jpg Image:Robert_H._Jackson_United_States_Courthouse_2_cropped.jpg

References

External links

Emporis building page

Skyscraperpage building page
{{Authority control Federal courthouses in the United States Courthouses in New York (state) Kohn Pedersen Fox buildings Skyscraper office buildings in Buffalo, New York Government buildings completed in 2011

Construction

Naming

Gallery

See also

References

External links