The architects for the project are Cesar Pelli & Associates of New Haven, CT, and HLW International L.L.P. of New York, NY. The project, which began construction in 2000, is part of the new Federal Court complex within the Civic Center of Downtown Brooklyn. The Eastern District courthouse, which is on the north side of Tillary Street, provides district courtrooms, magistrate courtrooms and judges’ chambers.
Constructed on the site of the former Emanuel Cellar building, which was razed in 1998, the new courthouse carries a high profile in the borough of Brooklyn and beyond. It is visible from the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, lower Manhattan and the surrounding neighborhoods.