851 Grand Concourse
Joseph H. Freedlander & Max L. Hausle
1931-1933
Grand Concourse Historic District, NYC Individual Landmark, National Register Historic District

Prominently overlooking Joyce Kilmer and Franz Sigel parks, this nine-story limestone building was designed in the neo-Classical style befitting a civic building situated on a prominent thoroughfare. The courthouse’s solid square massing is juxtaposed with sculptural details and ornamental reliefs. Among these is a frieze that encircles the entire building, depicting the “universal working man” engaged in such activities as agriculture, industry, the arts and war. Like other public buildings constructed during the Great Depression, the project was intended to provide needed work for architects, artists and construction workers. While the courthouse is the only project on which architects Joseph Freedlander and Max Hausle collaborated, Freedlander designed other recognizable New York City buildings, including the Museum of the City of New York and the nearby Andrew Freedman Home.