A courtroom in the new wing of the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building and Courthouse in Charlotte, N.C., has one of the country’s rarest designs. In a nod to an early 1800s courtroom design, championed by Thomas Jefferson, its jury box is centered in the room in front of the judge’s bench as opposed to off to the side where it typically sits. The witness box also is centered, facing the judge and jury.
It’s one of the many unique elements of the newly restored and expanded Jonas courthouse, a project designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) for the U.S. General Services Administration.
As one of the few remaining historic structures in Charlotte’s central business district, the original courthouse has long been a source of civic and judiciary pride. But the property needed significant upgrades to bring it into the 21st century and to help meet the court’s long-term security and space needs.
The Jonas courthouse was one of eight federal court buildings to receive construction funding from Congress in 2016. RAMSA, which has been designing courthouses for some 30 years, was tasked with increasing the size of the courthouse, maintaining its historic entrance and improving security.
THE CHALLENGE OF BLENDING OLD AND NEW
Built as a U.S. Post Office and single-courtroom facility in 1915, then expanded in 1934, the existing 134,000-square-foot courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The limestone-clad building exemplifies Classical architecture with its traditionally proportioned front columns forming a colonnade across the main entry.
RAMSA doubled the size of the downtown judiciary facility by designing a new 8-story wing that rises behind the historic courthouse, giving the building a civic presence on the Charlotte skyline for the first time. The new wing provides facilities required for modern-day court proceedings, adding nine new courtrooms, along with judges’ chambers and support spaces.
A key part of RAMSA’s regular process is researching precedents when designing buildings so they are contextually and historically respectful of their surroundings. To that end, the new wing references elements of the historic structure in its materials and design.
RAMSA carried forward the historic courthouse’s Classical style by cladding the new wing in precast concrete panels, carefully selected to complement the original building’s limestone. The addition defers to the existing building at the street, retaining the ceremonial entrance and historic lobby. As a large-scale civic gesture, the portico of the existing courthouse is echoed in the form of a double-height loggia high on the new building’s façade that provides courtroom staff secure outdoor space and city views.
A new skylighted double-height stair hall further connects new to old. Inside, the historic and new building façades meet in this striking atrium space positioned between the two structures. A skylight running the width of the space washes it in natural light, showcasing and celebrating the historic building’s façade, now a feature wall of this transitional space. Staff and visitors can appreciate the building’s original architecture and craftsmanship up close and in detail. The elevation of the new wing echoes some of the details of the historic façade across from it without duplicating them.
The project presented a logistical challenge, as well. The courthouse had to continue functioning during construction of the new wing. After it was completed, all the court’s functions were moved into the new building, allowing RAMSA to restore and find adaptive-reuse programming for the historic side. It was like choreographing a complex dance.
DESIGNING FOR BETTER SECURITY, EFFICIENCY
Architecturally, the existing Jonas courthouse lacked effective security elements, a common concern among historic courthouses across the country. To improve security, RAMSA designed secure and separate circulation paths through the building for the public, judiciary and U.S. Marshals.
Although the renovation and expansion were precipitated by the urgent need to accommodate security requirements and ensure workspaces supported the needs of the staff, the project also upgraded and replaced aging building systems. This included energy-conservation strategies and an effective stormwater-management system, deployed with cisterns for drip irrigation. Native plants were selected for the landscape, supporting the regional habitat.
The complex is awash in daylight, helping orient visitors. Surrounding courtyards and galleries allow natural light into agency offices, jury assembly rooms and circulation spaces, as well as offer more relaxed spots for casual discussions outside of courtrooms. The courthouse is on track to achieve LEED Gold certification.
A STORIED SITE
In 1836, the West Trade Street site housed the U.S. Mint, an imposing Classical Revival-style building designed by renowned architect William F. Strickland. The structure burned down in 1844 but was rebuilt,
largely keeping with Strickland’s original design, and reopened in 1846.
In 1891, a Romanesque Revival post office and courthouse opened beside the mint. It was later razed and, in 1915, the government began building a new post office facility, the first portion of which became the Jonas Federal Building and Courthouse.
A 1934 addition to the post office, constructed in a Classical style, tripled the structure’s size and reoriented the building’s main axis north to front West Trade Street.
The new design incorporates some of the rich history. The footprint of the original mint is memorialized with an outline of granite pavers on the front lawn of the Jonas courthouse. A monument memorializing First Lieutenant William Ewen Shipp of Charlotte also stands in the front yard. The monument of Shipp, who died in the Spanish-American War, was originally located at the front of the U.S. Mint and relocated when the post office expanded. In 2018, the granite obelisk returned to the front lawn facing the appropriately named Mint Street as part of the courthouse modernization project.
CELEBRATING HISTORY WITH PUBLIC ART
As part of the GSA’s Art in Architecture Program, Brooklyn-based artist Ellen Driscoll created a series of mosaic panels that represent the history of the Jonas courthouse and the region, each commemorating a different aspect of the site’s rich history.
The seven hand-glazed ceramic and Byzantine glass mosaics, called Site Woven, animate the streetscape along the building’s back façade at grade. The images include the U.S. Mint and U.S. Post Office. Other scenes include representations of the landmark desegregation case Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education and U.S. citizens taking the Oath of Allegiance during naturalization ceremonies that take place in the courthouse throughout the year.
The artwork has become an important public amenity. The panels front a public street, allowing for far more exposure than if they were kept inside as was originally planned. Judges often take visitors on tours of the artwork—and those attending baseball games at the neighboring Truist Field, home of the Charlotte Knights, will cross the street to look at the mosaics.
JUDGING COURTROOM DESIGN
RAMSA’s dedicated approach to creating the most modern spaces for the judiciary and staff while respecting historical precedence involved restoring the Robert D. Potter Courtroom, the crown jewel of the original building. RAMSA worked with courtroom planning experts CGL Companies to maintain the room’s historic character while improving its functionality.
To design the new courtrooms, the RAMSA team used 3D modeling to develop several different courtroom types. Those designs later became full-size mockups, complete with walls and furniture, so the judges could experience the space configurations and provide feedback before they were built.
The courtroom with the centered jury box is known as the Virginia Revival Model. Its design, which harkens back to Thomas Jefferson while he was a lawyer/architect in Charlottesville, Va., is meant to emphasize the jury’s role in the administration of justice and facilitate courtroom interactions. In this configuration, the lawyers sit off to the side. Cases are now being tried in the courtroom and the response has been positive. Jurors have said they appreciate being more physically centered in the middle of the conversation and better able to observe the witnesses directly.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Conrad, who worked close with RAMSA on the project, was the driving force behind bringing this courtroom design to the building. And his work paved the way for other courthouses to introduce the style more easily. The design guidelines that federal court buildings must adhere to initially didn’t include the Virginia Revival Model. But because of Conrad’s efforts, they now do.
PHOTOS: Francis Dzikowski (OTTO)
RETROFIT TEAM
DESIGN ARCHITECT: Robert A.M. Stern Architects
- Partner in Charge: Grant F. Marani, AIA, LFRAIA
- Project Manager: Kevin J. Kelly, AIA, partner
- Project Designer: Paul Zembsch
- Project Team: Melody Hanna
ARCHITECT OF RECORD/ENGINEER: Jenkins-Peer Architects
COURTROOM PLANNER, ARCHITECT: CGL Companies
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Brasfield & Gorrie
STRUCTURAL AND BLAST ENGINEER: Thornton Tomasetti
MECHANICAL/PLUMBING ENGINEER: MSWG Engineers
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Apogee Consulting Group
HISTORIC PRESERVATION, ENVELOPE: Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design
ACOUSTICAL AND AV: Cerami
MILLWORK AND DOORS: Mortensen Woodwork Inc.
ARTWORK: Ellen Driscoll and Mosaika Art + Design
MATERIALS
EXTERIOR WING PRECAST CLADDING: Gate
JONAS COURTYARDS BRICK CLADDING: Taylor Clay Products Inc.
TERRAZZO FLOORING IN PUBLIC SPACES: David Allen
SKYLIGHT: Uni-Sky Corp.
TPO ROOFING: Everguard TPO 60-mil Membrane from GAF
DOWNLIGHTS: LDN4 LED, Lithonia Lighting
DIFFUSED LIGHTING: BLT Series, Lithonia Lighting
ACOUSTICAL PANELS: AVL Systems Inc.
GYPSUM: Gold Bond Building Products
CARPET TILE: JJ Flooring, Bentley, Contract Flooring, Mannington and Tarkett
INTERIOR, EXTERIOR SIGNAGE: Fravert