US Courthouse
Also known as: Foley Square
Why it's listed
Rising 31 stories above Foley Square in Manhattan's Civic Center, this federal courthouse was built between 1932 and 1936 to designs by architect Cass Gilbert. After Gilbert died in 1934, his son, Cass Gilbert, Jr., brought the project to completion. A six-story granite base with a ten-column Corinthian colonnade supports a square tower, topped by a classical temple and a gold-leafed pyramidal roof. The design had to fit 300,000 square feet of space onto a small site, and the setback tower let it harmonize with the neighboring Municipal Building and New York County Courthouse. Inside are 35 courtrooms, a double-height marble lobby, and a 25th-floor library that remains largely intact. The building is considered important as one of the largest Treasury Department projects of the 1930s public buildings program, an example of restrained Neoclassicism late in Gilbert's career, and one of the earliest federally built skyscrapers.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of the largest and most distinctive examples of 1930s Federal architecture built by the U.S. Treasury Department. It was one of Cass Gilbert's last commissions and reflects the restrained Neoclassicism favored for federal buildings. It is also described as one of the earliest skyscrapers built by the federal government and one of the last Neoclassical office buildings erected in New York.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87001596, listed September 2, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 40 Foley Sq., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | September 2, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001596 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1932-36 |
| Architect / builder | Cass Gilbert and Cass Gilbert, Jr. |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in excellent condition, in government use; many smaller courtrooms and offices have been altered, while the larger courtrooms and the library retain much original fabric. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.71373, -74.00239 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87001596.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q821601
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.