Flanking the rear entrance to the New York County Courthouse are two large sculptures executed by Philip H. Martiny (1858-1927). Martiny was a French-American sculptor. He was a professional associate of Augustus Saint-Gaudens and maintained a studio near Washington Square Park. He executed a number of works in New York City, including the Abingdon Square Doughboy. After the death in 1901 of the original architect of the New York City Hall of Records (1907) on Chambers Street, known since 1962 as the Surrogate’s Court, the successor architects charged Martiny with providing sculptures to decorate the exterior. He and a colleague created 54 sculptures for this purpose. Martiny’s work included depictions of eminent figures from the city’s past, including Peter Stuyvesant and DeWitt Clinton. Martiny also created monumental sculptures that flanked the Chambers Street and Centre Street entrances to the building. The sculptures at the latter location were representations of “Authority” and “Justice.” In 1959, to accommodate the widening of Centre Street, these two sculptures were removed from their original site and placed in storage.[*] The Centre Street entrance to the building was closed. Later, the two sculptures were placed in niches on both sides of the main entrance to the New York County Courthouse. There they remained until 1995, when they were removed to their present location at the rear of the courthouse.
The Centre Street entrance to the building was closed. Later, the two sculptures were placed in niches on both sides of the main entrance to the New York County Courthouse. There they remained until 1995, when they were removed to their present location at the rear of the courthouse.
[*] “2 Heroic-Sized Statues Moved in Widening of Centre Street,” New York Times, June 16, 1959, p. 40.
Further Resources
60 Centre Street: A Look Back and Some Ruminations About the Future
by John F. Werner and Robert C. Meade, Jr., Esqs. (2023)