L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building
Encyclopedia
The L. Richardson Preyer Federal Building is a courthouse
of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
in Greensboro, North Carolina
. It was completed in 1933, and was renamed in honor of United States Representative and District Court judge L. Richardson Preyer
in 1988. It is located at 324 West Market Street.
of 1926, the Preyer Building was designed by the Washington architectural firm of Murphy and Olmstead with James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, as Supervising Architect. The George H. Rommel Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky, acted as General Contractor.
The Greensboro building was built as a Post Office, Courthouse and Federal Building. The people of Greensboro had anxiously awaited construction of a new, badly needed facility. Construction was begun in December 1931, and when the building was dedicated on July 6, 1933, more than 5000 people attended the dedication ceremony. After the postal service moved out completely in the late 1980s, the entire first floor work space was converted to courts and related offices. As of 2010, the building serves primarily as a Courthouse for the Middle District of North Carolina.
The site of the building has some significance. Prior to the construction of the Federal Building, the Sloan House, a house built of timbers of the original Guilford County Courthouse stood on the site for 100 years. It was said that the armies of General Green and Lord Cornwallis fought around this house during the Revolutionary War. Later the house was reported to be home of Greenboro's first mayor. The site is at the edge of the downtown commercial are and directly across the street from the Guilford County Government complex.
style building. The main entrance is on the south elevation with auxiliary entrances on the north and west. The building is 202'8" at the west and east elevations and 150'4" at the north and south elevations. Originally, entries to the building were on the south, north and west for the postal lobby. At the present time, the south entry is used as the main entry; the west entry is closed and the north entry, at the basement level, is used on a limited basis.
The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is a four story structure with a fully occupied basement and an attic (vacant). Resting on a Mt. Airy granite base, the walls above are clad in Indiana limestone. The ornamentation is also limestone. The south, main, elevation consists of 15 bays with the 5 central bays projected at the entry pavilion. The entry pavilion facade consists of the 3 entry doors at the first floor level with a set-back at the third floor level, and another set-back at the attic level. Ornamentation consists of a carved denticulated panels of the lotus motif. Windows at the second and third floors are slightly recessed and hung in pairs. They are separated by aluminum spandrel panels ornamented by a diamond motif.
The projected entry pavilion at the south elevation provides the main entry to the building. Granite steps and Crab Orchard stone terraces lead to the 3-bay entry. The 3-bay entry projects slightly from the pavilion. Flanking the entry doors to the east and west are carved open stone grilles. The second and third floor levels are set-off by four fluted engaged pilasters with carved caps featuring the lotus motif flanked by the scrolled motif. Carved panels between the pilasters feature lotus panels separated by unornamented shields. The reveals of the recessed windows feature elongated carved panels. Aluminum separating second and third floor windows here feature the seals of the Treasury Department, Post Office Department, Department of Justice, War Department, Department of Argriculture, and Department of labor. The forth floor level of the entry pavilion consists of a 3-bay set-back delineated at the east and west sides by projected triangular pilasters. Scored pilasters separate the windows within the pavilion. These pilasters feature carved eagles' heads atop Federal shields.
The west elevation reveals the U-shape plan of the building. The basement level is revealed by windows at this elevation. Ornamentation is similar on this elevation as on the south. The same fretwork band as on the south elevation, runs above the third floor level. The replacement double aluminum doors have a polished granite surround with paterae on the panels and a elaborate pediment. The pediment features a lotus flanked by heavy floral carving with palmetta acroterions. Open, geometric granite grilles flank the entry door. Three bays above the entry door feature open limestone, geometric grilles delineated by pilasters with carved lotus-motif panels at the third and fourth floor levels. Decorative terra cotta and pieces from the terra cotta roof are revealed at the fourth floor level on this elevation.
The north elevation is ornamented the same as the south except the central projected entry pavilion fetures only one entry door accessed by two sets of granite stairs at the stone terraces. The central stairs are flanked at the basement level by recessed entry doors leading to the north basement lobby. The polished granite surround is the same as on the west elevation, and the reveal features the same carving. Distinctive stone hexagonal light standards differ slightly at each elevation.
The interior of the building retains significant spaces in the courtroom and the south lobby. The third floor courtroom remains in nearly original condition. Marble wainscot, and original doors and furnishings highlight this area. The south lobby has lost much of its character when the postal service moved out and all the boxes and windows were filled in. However, the entry foyer with its elaborate ceiling, marble walls, and original light feature is an important feature of the interior. Second and, particularly, third floor cooridors add to the character of the building with original floors and door surrounds.
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
of the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina is a United States district court with jurisdiction over 24 counties in the center of North Carolina...
in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
. It was completed in 1933, and was renamed in honor of United States Representative and District Court judge L. Richardson Preyer
L. Richardson Preyer
Lunsford Richardson Preyer , who typically went by 'Richardson' or 'Rich,' was a jurist and a U.S. representative in Congress from North Carolina. He was the grandson of inventor Lunsford Richardson...
in 1988. It is located at 324 West Market Street.
Significance
Built pursuant to the Public Buildings ActPublic Buildings Act
The Public Buildings Act of 1926, also known as the Elliot-Fernald Act, was a statute which governed the construction of federal buildings throughout the United States, and authorized funding for this construction. Its primary sponsor in the House of Representatives was Representative Richard N...
of 1926, the Preyer Building was designed by the Washington architectural firm of Murphy and Olmstead with James A. Wetmore, Acting Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, as Supervising Architect. The George H. Rommel Construction Company of Louisville, Kentucky, acted as General Contractor.
The Greensboro building was built as a Post Office, Courthouse and Federal Building. The people of Greensboro had anxiously awaited construction of a new, badly needed facility. Construction was begun in December 1931, and when the building was dedicated on July 6, 1933, more than 5000 people attended the dedication ceremony. After the postal service moved out completely in the late 1980s, the entire first floor work space was converted to courts and related offices. As of 2010, the building serves primarily as a Courthouse for the Middle District of North Carolina.
The site of the building has some significance. Prior to the construction of the Federal Building, the Sloan House, a house built of timbers of the original Guilford County Courthouse stood on the site for 100 years. It was said that the armies of General Green and Lord Cornwallis fought around this house during the Revolutionary War. Later the house was reported to be home of Greenboro's first mayor. The site is at the edge of the downtown commercial are and directly across the street from the Guilford County Government complex.
Architectural description
The courthouse is an Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style building. The main entrance is on the south elevation with auxiliary entrances on the north and west. The building is 202'8" at the west and east elevations and 150'4" at the north and south elevations. Originally, entries to the building were on the south, north and west for the postal lobby. At the present time, the south entry is used as the main entry; the west entry is closed and the north entry, at the basement level, is used on a limited basis.
The Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is a four story structure with a fully occupied basement and an attic (vacant). Resting on a Mt. Airy granite base, the walls above are clad in Indiana limestone. The ornamentation is also limestone. The south, main, elevation consists of 15 bays with the 5 central bays projected at the entry pavilion. The entry pavilion facade consists of the 3 entry doors at the first floor level with a set-back at the third floor level, and another set-back at the attic level. Ornamentation consists of a carved denticulated panels of the lotus motif. Windows at the second and third floors are slightly recessed and hung in pairs. They are separated by aluminum spandrel panels ornamented by a diamond motif.
The projected entry pavilion at the south elevation provides the main entry to the building. Granite steps and Crab Orchard stone terraces lead to the 3-bay entry. The 3-bay entry projects slightly from the pavilion. Flanking the entry doors to the east and west are carved open stone grilles. The second and third floor levels are set-off by four fluted engaged pilasters with carved caps featuring the lotus motif flanked by the scrolled motif. Carved panels between the pilasters feature lotus panels separated by unornamented shields. The reveals of the recessed windows feature elongated carved panels. Aluminum separating second and third floor windows here feature the seals of the Treasury Department, Post Office Department, Department of Justice, War Department, Department of Argriculture, and Department of labor. The forth floor level of the entry pavilion consists of a 3-bay set-back delineated at the east and west sides by projected triangular pilasters. Scored pilasters separate the windows within the pavilion. These pilasters feature carved eagles' heads atop Federal shields.
The west elevation reveals the U-shape plan of the building. The basement level is revealed by windows at this elevation. Ornamentation is similar on this elevation as on the south. The same fretwork band as on the south elevation, runs above the third floor level. The replacement double aluminum doors have a polished granite surround with paterae on the panels and a elaborate pediment. The pediment features a lotus flanked by heavy floral carving with palmetta acroterions. Open, geometric granite grilles flank the entry door. Three bays above the entry door feature open limestone, geometric grilles delineated by pilasters with carved lotus-motif panels at the third and fourth floor levels. Decorative terra cotta and pieces from the terra cotta roof are revealed at the fourth floor level on this elevation.
The north elevation is ornamented the same as the south except the central projected entry pavilion fetures only one entry door accessed by two sets of granite stairs at the stone terraces. The central stairs are flanked at the basement level by recessed entry doors leading to the north basement lobby. The polished granite surround is the same as on the west elevation, and the reveal features the same carving. Distinctive stone hexagonal light standards differ slightly at each elevation.
The interior of the building retains significant spaces in the courtroom and the south lobby. The third floor courtroom remains in nearly original condition. Marble wainscot, and original doors and furnishings highlight this area. The south lobby has lost much of its character when the postal service moved out and all the boxes and windows were filled in. However, the entry foyer with its elaborate ceiling, marble walls, and original light feature is an important feature of the interior. Second and, particularly, third floor cooridors add to the character of the building with original floors and door surrounds.