Brooklyn Borough Hall
The city hall that ran the separate City of Brooklyn for half a century, until it became part of New York
The story
Before you is Borough Hall, the former city hall of Brooklyn. Brooklyn was once not a borough of New York but a city of its own. It was chartered as a city in 1834, and a year later a competition was held for a city hall design. The architect Calvin Pollard won. The cornerstone was laid in 1836, but the money ran out after the foundation. Work resumed in 1845 on a simplified design by Gamaliel King. In 1848 the city hall opened, even though it was not yet finished. The walls are faced with white Tuckahoe marble. A broad flight of steps leads up to a portico of six Ionic columns. The whole city government fit inside: the mayor’s office, the city council, a courtroom, and even a jail. A wooden figure of Justice crowned the cupola. In 1895 a fire destroyed the cupola along with the figure. In 1898 a new cupola of cast iron went up. That same year Brooklyn became part of New York City, and the city hall became Borough Hall, home of the borough government. The Brooklyn Borough President still works here. It is the oldest public building in Brooklyn. A new figure of Justice was only placed on the cupola in 1988. In 1966 the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission made the building a landmark. The Commission called it one of the finest Greek Revival buildings in all of New York.
Visiting
209 Joralemon Street, Downtown Brooklyn; the Borough Hall and Court Street subway stations are close by. You can look at the facade freely from the plaza in front. The building houses borough government offices.
Sources
- NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services — Brooklyn Borough Hall
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission — Brooklyn Borough Hall, Designation Report (1966)
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