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| 60 Centre Street, New York Supreme Court (facade) |
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| 60 Centre Street, New York Supreme Court (side view) |
Located at 60 Centre Street, the New York
Supreme Court stands majestically on its own across Foley Square in the Financial
District of Lower Manhattan. At the first sweeping glance, the subject appears
similar to its surrounding buildings in terms of color, scale, windows and
texture. Unique from its relatively modern-looking neighbors, however, this whitish-gray
marble edifice takes on a voluminous hexagonal layout with its prostyle-decastyle
Corinthian temple façade being the most prominent and captivating in its rich
architectural and sculptural intricacies.
Raised
up on two extensive flights of stairs that recede into what seems like the
stylobate and stereobate from the side-view, ten notable Corinthian columns stretch
across the width of the cella, each erected on Attic bases with shafts more
slender than that of the Ionic column. The effect, accompanied with the entasis
of the shafts, results in the frontage to look proudly tall and upright,
befitting the spirit and motif of the Supreme Court. Two additional Corinthian
columns and a pilaster align the two sides of the portico behind the first and
last columns. A pronaos of such a substantial area suggests the rest of the
interior to be promisingly immense. Studied as a whole, the following pattern
describes the arrangement of the frontal colonnade: 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 3, a
symmetrical and innovatively advanced rhythm that thrills both the eye and the
mind. As expected of a Corinthian entablature, the architrave consists of three
fasciae that rest comfortably atop the capitals and carries a frieze that displays
a conspicuous engraving of English words: “The True Administration Of Justice
Is The Firmest Pillar Of Good Government”, which indicates the purpose and
commitment of the architecture. Upon the frieze sits the cornice underlined by
dentils and beneath it egg-and-dart moldings. Within the triangular crown of
the cornice, an elaborately sculpted pediment reminds of a typical Greek temple
embellished with figurines and cultural ideas of the Hellenistic period, angels
and symbols of nature. Acroteria on the roof include a larger, dominating male
sculpture set above the center and a smaller, more elegant female piece each at
the two lower corners of the pediment. Like the existing remains of Greek
temples, the dynamic elegance of the handicraft on the roof, pediment and
capital, in particular, sufficiently compensates for the austerity of the color
used around the premises.
While the vast hexagonal mass of the New York Supreme Court comes across as stolid,
heavy, dull and masculine, the femininity, gentleness and refined sophistication
of the Corinthian temple façade creates a balance and harmony for the entire
exterior. The hexagonal shape of the building cleverly emphasizes the impressive
frontage as the diagonal faces on either side of it extend inwards, like a bird
at flight with its wings tucked towards its body.
Despite the imitation of a Hellenistic temple, the need to accommodate modern-day requirements
calls for the wise installation of window frames, minimal hanging lights and a
huge glass door. Electrical lighting in the massive front porch and ventilation
for the naos play particularly significant roles for safety and health reasons,
since the architecture serves as a workplace to many. The choice of glass and modest-looking
hanging lights maximizes their integrity to the architectural style, minimizing
visual obstruction and excessive attention to the modern programs.
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| 60 Centre Street, New York Supreme Court (rough on-site sketch) |
Original photography by Sophie G.
