Firm's post office design gets stamp of approval.

R.M.Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects are the design architects for the United States Post Office and Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York.

When completed in 2005, the new 575,000 gross square foot building will provide both renovated and newly constructed space for the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, the U.S. Attorney, and the U.S. Postal Service.

The project is being completed for the General Services Administration Public Buildings Service through their Design Excellence Program, a national search for design talent.

Completed in 1892, the original Romanesque Revival style building was designed to house Federal Courts and a General Post Office. An extension in matching style was built in 1933. Both the original building and its extension are on the National Register of Historic Places and are components of the historic Brooklyn Civic Center.

The renovation and new additions designed by R.M.Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects are designed to achieve four goals:

To reinstate the building as a significant formal and functional presence in the civic life of Brooklyn;

To restore significant historic elements of the existing building;

To provide public and judicial spaces that derive their character from the original building, as well as to integrate new elements, spaces and circulation lightly in to the historic fabric of the existing building; and

To introduce a maximum of natural light throughout the building.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Courts will occupy the entire original 1892 building. The original wood and marble of the interiors are being cleaned and restored, and the paint colors and decorative patterns are replicated to breathe new life into the existing structure. Four courtrooms will be restored and four new courtrooms will be added. The building will also house new state of the art offices for the U.S. Attorney and modern facilities for the U.S. Postal Service. New mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as well as ADA accommodations are also being made throughout the building.

Other features of the new U.S. Post Office and Courthouse designed by R.M.Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects include a new monumental flight of steps to connect the building's entrances to the street and the park. A new 45,000gsf mezzanine is constructed over the first floor of the 1933 extension. 10,000 gsf are also added on each of the upper four floors to provide efficient office space with views of the 1892 building and of Brooklyn Borough Hall beyond. The addition forms a courtyard that opens south. A new skylight and a new laylight in the atrium of the 1892 building replace the originals, which had been destroyed.

R.M.Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects was founded in New York City in 1972. The work of the firm includes master planning and buildings for educational, public and corporate clients; historic preservation/adaptive reuse; interiors; and private residences. The firm's work has received over 40 design awards, including the 1997 Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects and the 1998 Medal of Honor from the New York Chapter AIA. Each of these is the highest honor given annually to one firm for consistently distinguished architecture.

In addition to the new United States Post Office and Courthouse in Brooklyn, NY, R.M.Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects has designed a broad range of other public projects including: the new United States Courthouse in Gulfport, Mississippi, and the new Henry A. Wallace Visitor, Education and Conference center for the FDR Presidential Library in Hyde Park, NY.