Long Island City Courthouse

Story

The Long Island City Courthouse is located at 25-10 Court Square in Long Island City, Queens, in New York City. It formerly housed Criminal Court, County Court, the District Attorney staff, and the county sheriff's office. Today the Courthouse is another home to the Civil Term of Supreme Court, Queens County, which also sits in Jamaica. The courthouse was originally designed by the architect George Hathorne and built in 1874. It was remodeled and enlarged by Peter M. Coco in 1904 after a fire destroyed a portion of it. It was considered to be one of the most important buildings in Queens County.In its remodeling the building was raised from two stories to four stories in order to accommodate the needs of the court. The courthouse is designed in what has been variously described as a Neo-English Renaissance, neoclassical, or Beaux Arts architectural style and is made of stone, ceramic tile, limestone, and metal. Two jails were formerly part of the complex, but were replaced by a parking garage in 1988. The parking structure was designed by Chicago-based architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.The Long Island City Courthouse complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was designated a New York City landmark in 1976.The location was decided on as the Queens County Seat moved from Jamaica to Long Island City, due to access to nearby train lines.