Staten Island Family Courthouse

100 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301

Date Built: 1930-1931

Architect: Sibley & Fetherston

The Staten Island Family Courthouse is located on Richmond Terrace between Wall Street and Hamilton Avenue. It houses the Family Court and associated offices. It was originally called the Staten Island Children's Courthouse.

The Staten Island Family Courthouse, an integral part of Staten Island's Civic Center in St. George, is an impressive neoclassical building set on Richmond Terrace. In 1898, Richmond County was consolidated into the City of New York, and the first Borough President of Staten Island, George Cromwell, moved the old county center from Richmondtown to St. George. Influenced by the City Beautiful movement, Cromwell and architect and Staten Island resident, John Carrère created a grand scheme for a series of government buildings at St. George. Each building was to be freestanding, but to employ classical revival forms and be set back to a common sight line behind a landscaped lawn to create a harmonious ensemble. Between 1898 and 1919, the firm of Carrère & Hastings designed the first four buildings for the Civic Center. Sibley & Fetherston followed Carrère's design precedents, siting the Family Courthouse in line with other municipal buildings on Richmond Terrace. The neoclassical building was clad in terra cotta treated to look like limestone to harmonize with Carrère & Hastings' neighboring Richmond County Courthouse. Notable features include the rusticated walls, pedimented Ionic portico, and pedimented window surrounds.

The majority of New York City courthouses were built in the 1920s and 1930s and the 1930 Staten Island Family Courthouse exemplifies this "boom" in courthouse construction. It is the City's only extant family (children's) courthouse still in use as a court and is largely architectural intact. It is an excellent example of the work of Sibley & Fetherston, a significant Staten Island architectural firm and one of the most prolific firms designing courthouses in New York City.* [Landmarks Preservation Commission]

*See related pages for Staten Island Civil and Criminal Courthouses.

The Staten Island Family Courthouse was designated a New York City landmark in January 2001.