Landmarks Preservation Commission August 2, 1967, Number 3 LP-0297 THE HARLEM COURTHOT.5E, 170 East 12lst Street, Borough of Manhattan. Begun 1891, completed 1893; architects Thorn & Wilson. Landmark Site: Borough of Manhattan Tax Map Block 1769, Lot 45. On June 14, 1966, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as a Landmark of The Harlem Courthouse and the proposed designation of the related Landmark Site. (Item No. 29). The hearing had been duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of law. Two witnesses spoke in favor of designation. There were no speakers in opposition to designation. DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS Of the many historic buildings erected in Harlem around the turn of the Century and still extant, the Harlem Courthouse is one of the most significant and impressive. Begun in 1891 and completed in 1893, it is handsomelY picturesque. Romanesque Revival in style with romantic Victorian Gothic overtones, the building achieves much of its beauty by a judicious use of colored brick, stone and terra-cotta, producing a play of architectural shapes and forms of striking effect. The north and west el evations are almost symmetrical and lead up to an imposing corner tower at the intersection of East 12lst Street and Sylvan Place. This round tower is surmounted by a. most interesting octagonal belfry rising considerably above the main mass of the four-storied structure. Each side of the octagonal section is crowned by a steep gable, consisting of a semi-circular arch enclosing a decorated panel enframed with moldings and flanked by slender engaged columns. Two of the arch es enframe clocks; the others are circular windows. The columns consisting of engaged shafts with capitals and bases rest onthe ledge of the cornice which is enriched by small curved projections above massive corbels. Perched on each side of the eight capitals, in the form of a gargoyle, is a hand- somely carved animal's hea d. Rising above this unusual octagonal arc hi t,cct ural composition and unifying these elements is a low copper eovered spire. Of particular int er e st in the north el evation is the main entrance set in a rustica ted all granite bas e. The double doors ar e set within a gr ace ful archway supported by free standing columns flanked by wide, banded pilast ers. The spandrels of the arch are de corated with carved figures of che rubs holding scrolls. The frieze of the entablatur e displ ays foliat e orname nt, a nd its classic cornic e is surmounted by a low ba lustrade. The dominant f ea tur e of bo th the north and west facades is a fiv e story gabl ed section which proj e cts s lightly forwa rd from the res t of the el evation. Centered in each of these sections at ground floor level is a truck entrance with handsome panell ed doors. These doorways are fr amed symmetrically qy large re ctangular windows with me tal grilles. Above them on the second floor and re sting on a wide band cours e ar e four arched windows s et in deep r eveals and separat ed by banded pil a st er s with engaged column shafts. The third floor or courtroom l evel above th em is emphasiz ed by lar ge two-story a rched windows flank ed by narrow-arch ed windows. All of these wi ndows ar e s epar at ed by handsome pilaster, E and columns shafts, and the thr ee arche s a r e crowned by handsomely enrich ed moldings. These window units re st on a wide horizontal band co urs e containing a row of flut ed brack ets. Steep gabl es, topped with bold fini a ls, crown these f orwa rd-proj ect ed se c tio ns and ris e above the steep roof with attic dormer s. Throughout the b ui ldi ng the r ed br ick Wi th it s wat er s truck fi ni sh contras ts plea singly with the blues tone band cours es acc ent ing the pr i ncipal story he ights. The drip moldings over the arches of the other windows, the de corative te rra-cotta pane ls set in the wa lls, and the copper roof a ll l end contrast to th e building and contribute t o i ts impres si ve quality. The Harlem Courthous e housed one of th e many Munici pal and P oli ce Magistr at es Courts that onc e exi st ed i n our City. It s f unc ti on as a co urthous e w as termi nated in 1961, under th e court merger program of 1962. Onc e known as the Fifth District Prison, in the City o rganization, it had tempora ry det ention facilities to hold prisoners while in t ransi t to other j ai ls and for the rete ntion of mate rial witne ss es w ho were hel d while a tri al w as in sess ion. This building i s now occupied by uni ts of t he Department of Air Poll ution Control, the Sa nit at ion Depar tment and t he Par ol e Boa rd . Its history covers an i ntere sting sequence of uses changing f r om one agency t o a no t her.