John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse

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.[1]

John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse
as seen from Central Wharf (2017)
Location within Boston
General information
StatusComplete
TypeFederal Courthouse
Address1 Courthouse Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02210
United States
Coordinates42°21′14″N 71°2′49″W
Elevation4 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
Completed1999
Cost$170 million
OwnerUnited States Federal Government
Technical details
Floor count10
Floor area675,000 square feet (62,700 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firmPei Cobb Freed & Partners
Structural engineerLeMessurier Consultants
Main contractorClark Construction Group, Inc

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.[2]

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.[3]

Public access to the courtrooms is provided through a sequence of spaces — Entrance Hall, Rotunda, Great Hall, and Galleries.[2] Twenty-one large-scale paintings were commissioned from Ellsworth Kelly and are installed in these areas.[2]

The courtrooms themselves are distinguished by a motif of large arches defined by wood moldings and stenciled ornament.[2]

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.[4]

Design team

Design awards

See also

References
  1. "Moakley Federal Courthouse" Archived 2004-12-30 at the Wayback Machine, Gruzen Samton Associated Architects
  2. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
  3. John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse / Portfolio / Planning / Justice | Gruzen Samton LLP (archived 2009)
  4. What Moakley Courthouse's Old-School Cooling System Could Teach Us About Energy Storage
  5. "John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse and Harborpark". Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Retrieved 20 Jan 2017.
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