Photo © Bruce Damonte
The modern courthouse is a paradoxical building type— it is part of the city but should also be apart from the city—magisterial and imposing, yet also a public place where almost everyone ends up eventually, even if just for jury duty.
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When SOM won the commission, Morrow presented the architects with a list of 10 essential principles… Two goals especially stand out: “Must Fit the Community” and “21st-century and Timeless Design.” These are not easy benchmarks to attain in any design, but the verdict is in. The L.A. courthouse has more than met the court’s high standards of proof on all counts.