Strom Thurmond Federal Building and United States Courthouse
Encyclopedia
The Strom Thurmond Federal Building and United States Courthouse is United States federal building located in Columbia, South Carolina
, which was completed in 1979 and which served for twenty-five years as a courthouse
of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
. It is named for long-time Senator Strom Thurmond
.
before his 1976 retirement.To complete the design of the new federal building and courthouse in Columbia, South Carolina, Breuer collaborated with his architectural partner Herbert Beckhard. James C. Hemphill, Jr., an architect from Charlotte, North Carolina
, also contributed to the design. In 1975, officials decided to name the still-incomplete complex to honor Senator and former Governor Strom Thurmond, who had represented South Carolina in the United States Senate
since 1954. The complex was completed in 1979 at a cost of $23.5 million. Early tenants included the U.S. Courts, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
. In 2003, the federal courts moved to a new location, and the U.S. General Services Administration
initiated a project to explore reuse of the vacated space.
style of architecture. It exhibits many character-defining features of the style, including rough, exposed exterior concrete walls, deeply recessed windows, and a weighty massiveness. Combining a tall office tower with a long, low courthouse and landscaped plaza, the complex's form is similar to that of many Modern-era federal buildings. The building occupies a parcel of land bounded by Laurel, Assembly, Richland, and Park streets in downtown Columbia. The courthouse is accessed through an open courtyard from Assembly Street. The facility contains 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of space.
The sixteen-story office tower has a monolithic presence. Unlike elaborate federal buildings from earlier eras, the tower is stark and unadorned, with its dominant design being repetitive windows with peaked hoods called brise soleil
s. The hoods serve to minimize direct sunlight, thus reducing the interior temperature during warm South Carolina summers. Like many Modern buildings, the first level is recessed beneath an arcade supported by square columns. The building has a steel frame and is clad in pre-cast concrete panels and dark gray cold spring natural granite. Breuer and Beckhard developed a sophisticated design that resulted in a well-insulated and energy-conscious building. In addition to successfully completing the challenging design, the architects incorporated many security features for both the courts and other tenants. An underground tunnel connects the office tower to the three-story courthouse building. Breuer unified the complex by repeating the same window form on the courthouse. Like the office tower, the main facade has a recessed first story with a glass street-front arcade.
The interiors of both the office tower and the courthouse contain high-quality materials that evoke the Modern spirit of the complex. Glazed, polished bricks cover portions of the floors and interior walls. Concrete coffered ceilings create pattern and texture in the public spaces. Squares and cubes are used as a design element throughout both buildings; granite cubes form the informational directories, water fountains, seating areas, and stairwells. These components are found in the office tower lobby, along with colossal concrete columns that provide monumentality to the interior. Within the courthouse, the four courtrooms are dignified spaces. Wall paneling consists of thin vertical hardwood strips, while jury boxes and judges' benches are built from thin horizontal strips. The plaza of the complex is particularly emblematic of Breuer's work. He understood the importance of creating formal yet inviting outdoor spaces executed at a human scale. The primary materials that Breuer used are warm gray granite and tan concrete, which is typical in Brutalist architecture. He designed a reflecting pool in the sunken courtyard, with grass panels, shrubs, and trees added to soften hardscape features.
Two artists—Barbara Neijna and Marla Mallett—were commissioned by GSA's Art in Architecture program to create works of art for the courthouse. Marla Mallett's large-scale textile work, E Pluribus Unum, was originally located in the lobby. It was later removed after being damaged by adverse environmental conditions. For the exterior courtyard, Florida-based artist Barbara Neijna created Right Turn on White, a large-scale aluminum sculpture painted white. The sculpture consists of a rectangle standing on its side, with the top edge peeled forward to create an arc, which adds another dimension to the work by casting shadows on the rectangular face. Using simple elements of geometry and a refined sense of mathematical proportion, Neijna has created a work of art that is both aesthetically and conceptually compatible with the architectural vocabulary of the courthouse, and yet is set apart from it.
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, which was completed in 1979 and which served for twenty-five years as a courthouse
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 District of South Carolina
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina
The United States District Court for the District of South Carolina is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of South Carolina...
. It is named for long-time Senator Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
.
Building history
The building was one of the last projects completed by the master architect Hungarian Marcel BreuerMarcel Breuer
Marcel Lajos Breuer , was a Hungarian-born modernist, architect and furniture designer of Jewish descent. One of the masters of Modernism, Breuer displayed interest in modular construction and simple forms.- Life and work :Known to his friends and associates as Lajkó, Breuer studied and taught at...
before his 1976 retirement.To complete the design of the new federal building and courthouse in Columbia, South Carolina, Breuer collaborated with his architectural partner Herbert Beckhard. James C. Hemphill, Jr., an architect from Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, also contributed to the design. In 1975, officials decided to name the still-incomplete complex to honor Senator and former Governor Strom Thurmond, who had represented South Carolina in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
since 1954. The complex was completed in 1979 at a cost of $23.5 million. Early tenants included the U.S. Courts, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
. In 2003, the federal courts moved to a new location, and the U.S. General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
initiated a project to explore reuse of the vacated space.
Architecture
The building is a stark but sophisticated example of the BrutalistBrutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
style of architecture. It exhibits many character-defining features of the style, including rough, exposed exterior concrete walls, deeply recessed windows, and a weighty massiveness. Combining a tall office tower with a long, low courthouse and landscaped plaza, the complex's form is similar to that of many Modern-era federal buildings. The building occupies a parcel of land bounded by Laurel, Assembly, Richland, and Park streets in downtown Columbia. The courthouse is accessed through an open courtyard from Assembly Street. The facility contains 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of space.
The sixteen-story office tower has a monolithic presence. Unlike elaborate federal buildings from earlier eras, the tower is stark and unadorned, with its dominant design being repetitive windows with peaked hoods called brise soleil
Brise soleil
Brise soleil, sometimes brise-soleil , from French, "sun breaker"), in architecture refers to a variety of permanent sun-shading techniques, ranging from the simple patterned concrete walls popularized by Le Corbusier to the elaborate wing-like mechanism devised by Santiago Calatrava for the...
s. The hoods serve to minimize direct sunlight, thus reducing the interior temperature during warm South Carolina summers. Like many Modern buildings, the first level is recessed beneath an arcade supported by square columns. The building has a steel frame and is clad in pre-cast concrete panels and dark gray cold spring natural granite. Breuer and Beckhard developed a sophisticated design that resulted in a well-insulated and energy-conscious building. In addition to successfully completing the challenging design, the architects incorporated many security features for both the courts and other tenants. An underground tunnel connects the office tower to the three-story courthouse building. Breuer unified the complex by repeating the same window form on the courthouse. Like the office tower, the main facade has a recessed first story with a glass street-front arcade.
The interiors of both the office tower and the courthouse contain high-quality materials that evoke the Modern spirit of the complex. Glazed, polished bricks cover portions of the floors and interior walls. Concrete coffered ceilings create pattern and texture in the public spaces. Squares and cubes are used as a design element throughout both buildings; granite cubes form the informational directories, water fountains, seating areas, and stairwells. These components are found in the office tower lobby, along with colossal concrete columns that provide monumentality to the interior. Within the courthouse, the four courtrooms are dignified spaces. Wall paneling consists of thin vertical hardwood strips, while jury boxes and judges' benches are built from thin horizontal strips. The plaza of the complex is particularly emblematic of Breuer's work. He understood the importance of creating formal yet inviting outdoor spaces executed at a human scale. The primary materials that Breuer used are warm gray granite and tan concrete, which is typical in Brutalist architecture. He designed a reflecting pool in the sunken courtyard, with grass panels, shrubs, and trees added to soften hardscape features.
Two artists—Barbara Neijna and Marla Mallett—were commissioned by GSA's Art in Architecture program to create works of art for the courthouse. Marla Mallett's large-scale textile work, E Pluribus Unum, was originally located in the lobby. It was later removed after being damaged by adverse environmental conditions. For the exterior courtyard, Florida-based artist Barbara Neijna created Right Turn on White, a large-scale aluminum sculpture painted white. The sculpture consists of a rectangle standing on its side, with the top edge peeled forward to create an arc, which adds another dimension to the work by casting shadows on the rectangular face. Using simple elements of geometry and a refined sense of mathematical proportion, Neijna has created a work of art that is both aesthetically and conceptually compatible with the architectural vocabulary of the courthouse, and yet is set apart from it.
Significant events
- 1975: Building dedicated to honor U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond
- 1975-1979: Building constructed
- 1979: First tenants occupy building
- 2003: Federal courts vacate complex
Building facts
- Location: 1835-1845 Assembly Street
- Architect: Marcel Breuer and Associates
- Construction Dates: 1975-1979
- Architectural Style: BrutalismBrutalist architectureBrutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
- Primary Materials: Concrete, granite, and glass
- Prominent Features: Monolithic office tower paired with long, low courthouse; Repetitive recessed windows with protruding hoods; Landscaped plaza