Bronx County Hall of Justice

The Bronx County Hall of Justice is an American courthouse at 265 East 161st Street, between Sherman and Morris Avenues in the Concourse and Melrose sections of the Bronx in New York City, New York. The ten-story building has 775,000 square feet (72,000 m²) and includes 47 New York Supreme Court and New York City Criminal Court rooms, seven grand jury rooms, and office space for the New York City Department of Correction, New York City Department of Probation, and the district attorney.[1]

Bronx County Hall of Justice
General information
Location	40°49′34.2″N 73°55′9.3″W
Address	265 East 161st Street
Town or city	Bronx, New York City
Country	United States
Construction started	2001
Completed	2008
Cost	$421 million
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Rafael Viñoly

The steel and glass building was designed by Rafael Viñoly. Construction began in 2001, was topped out in 2002.[2] Sources differ on the completion date, variously stating 2006, 2007, or 2008.[1][3][4] Originally planned as a four year construction job with a budget of $325 million, the project ended up taking six years and cost $421 million. The original contractor was suspected of having connections to organized crime and disqualified. There were problems with the underground parking garage, and the air conditioning system.[4][5] The New York City capital commitment plan for fiscal year 2015 also included $35.3 million for post-construction work to repair and fix items that were not properly installed during the initial construction.[6]

The building was originally designed to be 30 stories tall, including retail space. That design was discarded after the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed in 1995.[5] Other influences of the bombing include explosive-resistant glass, a bulletproof lobby, and locating the underground garage beneath the pedestrian plaza instead of the building itself.[7]