Tweed Courthouse
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The Old New York County Courthouse, more commonly known as the Tweed Courthouse, is a historic courthouse building at 52 Chambers Street in Manhattan, New York City. It was built in the Italianate style, with Romanesque Revival interiors, under the leadership of the corrupt William M. "Boss" Tweed, whose Tammany Hall political machine controlled the city and state governments when the courthouse was built. The Tweed Courthouse served as a judicial building for New York County, a county of New York State that is coextensive with the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is the second-oldest city government building in Manhattan, after City Hall.The Tweed Courthouse is composed of a central section; pavilions to the east and west; and a rear wing to the south. The outer shell of the building was constructed from 1861–1872 by the architect John Kellum, with the political appointee Thomas Little. Construction was interrupted in 1871, when Kellum died and the corruption involved in the building's construction was disclosed to the public. The project was completed by architect Leopold Eidlitz, who added the rear wing and completed the interior in 1877–1881.
During the Tweed Courthouse's construction, the media criticized the project as wasteful and gaudy. Following its completion, numerous modifications were made to the courthouse, including removal of its front steps. Modern restoration and historic preservation of the courthouse were completed in 2001. Since the completion of the renovation, the Tweed Courthouse has contained the headquarters of the New York City Department of Education on its upper floors, and schools on its ground level. The Tweed Courthouse was made a New York City Designated Landmark in 1984 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
