The Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse is a United States courthouse of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Located at 1729 North 5th Avenue in Birmingham, Alabama,[2] it was completed in 1987, and named in honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on November 10, 1987,[1] through legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Ben Erdreich of Alabama.[3]
| Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse | |
|---|---|
 Northeast view of the Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | 1729 5th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203 |
| Coordinates | 33°30′59″N 86°48′42″W / 33.516418°N 86.811546°W |
| Completed | 1987 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | KPS Group[1] |
Funds for the construction of a new courthouse in Birmingham were appropriated by Congress in December 1982, and the following June, the General Services Administration chose the Birmingham architectural firm of Kidd/Ploaser/Sprague Architects Inc to design the building.[4] A location for the courthouse not yet having been determined, the City of Birmingham proposed a lot diagonal to the federal courthouse in use at the time, as part of an effort to promote the downtown area.[4] In 1984, it was reported that the building would be nine stories and 184,000 square feet, with construction to begin in April 1985 and end in February 1987.[5] A 1987 evaluation of work in the city by the architects noted of the building that it "has all of the right monumental materials, but they are organized in a carnival of geometry that fits irregular spaces in a familiar context", further describing it as "a kind of geometrical sculpture of reflective glass atop a stone pedestal that both respects and reflects the two monumental buildings (old US Courthouse and Federal Reserve Bank) across the street".[6]
In June 2020, vandals protesting a nearby Confederate monument threw rocks that damaged windows of the courthouse, prompting officials to note that this was a federal offense.[7] In June 2023, Joran van der Sloot was arraigned at the courthouse for the murder of Natalee Holloway.[8]
References edit
- ^ a b Ruzic, Emily (Summer 2017). "The Federal Courthouses of Birmingham". 11th Circuit Historical News. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Birmingham". Northern District of Alabama - United States District Court. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ An act to designate the new United States courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama, as the "Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse" (PDF) (H.R.614). 100th United States Congress. November 10, 1987.
- ^ a b Viola Gienger, "Courthouse start may be 2 years off", Birmingham Post-Herald (June 17, 1983), p. C1.
- ^ Mitch Mendelson, "City's center born again", Birmingham Post-Herald ((April 4, 1984), p. F2.
- ^ Mitch Mendelson, "Variety characterizes KPS portfolio", Birmingham Post-Herald (March 2, 1987), p. A8.
- ^ WBRC Staff (June 1, 2020). "Alabama's AG says he may pursue new civil complaint over Confederate monument in Birmingham". WBRC.
- ^ Paepcke, Jon; Lang, Taylor (June 21, 2023). "Joran van der Sloot pleads 'not guilty' to federal charges of extortion, wire fraud". WVTM.
External links edit
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