Progress Continues on $345 Million N.J. Courthouse

By Lisa Kopochinski

JERSEY CITY, N.J.—With a completion date slated for 2023, renderings of the new Hudson County Courthouse in Jersey City have been revealed by Rafael Viñoly Architects.

The design includes a truss stacked on bands of glass for the new Frank J. Guarini Justice Complex, which will be located at 595 Newark Street. With a construction cost of $345 million, this project is “one of the largest-ever publicly funded projects in New Jersey,” according to an article in New York Yimby.

The 400,000-square-foot space will include 24 courtrooms, hearing and mediation rooms, jury assembly spaces, offices, a 75-seat food court, a self-help law library, and a new facility for the sheriff’s department. A parking garage, wrapped in a metal facade, will be able to accommodate 459 vehicles.

According to the Hudson County Courthouse (HCC) website “the courthouse was designed to facilitate use by the public and to ensure the security of all visitors,” positioning the public amenities and high-traffic courtrooms on the ground level and the Criminal Court and Family Court on the second and third levels, respectively. The top two floors of the building will house the administrative offices.

The modernization of the Hudson County Justice Complex will help revitalize the Journal Square community in Jersey City. According to the site, through the construction of the Honorable Frank J. Guarini Justice Complex and the renovation of the landmark William J. Brennan Courthouse, Jersey City will create a new civic district

Additionally, the removal of the outdated Hudson County Administration Building at 595 Newark Ave.—which currently houses most of the County’s court spaces—will open a large, prominent and well-located site to higher uses, including parkland.

Land clearance for the five-story, LEED Silver building began in 2018.