Stanley Mosk Courthouse

Courthouse in Los Angeles, United States
34°03′19″N 118°14′49″W / 34.0552178°N 118.2468222°W / 34.0552178; -118.2468222Current tenantsLos Angeles County Superior CourtNamed forStanley MoskCompleted1958OpenedJanuary 5, 1959; 65 years ago (1959-01-05)LandlordLos Angeles CountyHeight80 feet (24 m)Technical detailsFloor count6Floor area220,860 square feet (20,519 m2) (west wing)
515,340 square feet (47,877 m2) (east wing)Design and constructionArchitecture firmStanton, Stockwell, Williams and WilsonOther informationNumber of rooms100 courtroomsPublic transit accessB Line D Line  Civic Center/Grand ParkReferences[1]

The Stanley Mosk Courthouse is a courthouse in Los Angeles, California home to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. It is located at 110 N. Grand Avenue and 111 N. Hill Street between Temple and First streets, lining Grand Park in the Civic Center in Downtown Los Angeles. The building was constructed in 1958 and has a floor area of 220,860 square feet (20,519 m2) in its west wing and 515,340 square feet (47,877 m2) in the east wing. It has 100 courtrooms, 840 daily workers and 7000 daily visitors.[2][3][4] The courthouse is often seen in the TV series Perry Mason, when the title character parks his car on Hill Street to go inside the building.[5]

The architects were Stanton, Stockwell, Williams and Wilson, in Late Moderne style, which incorporates elements of both the Streamline Moderne and International style. The team of architects designed the courthouse simultaneously with the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration (1960), both buildings conceived as part of the monumental 1947 Civic Center Master Plan. That plan also called for the extension of the Los Angeles Civic Center westward to incorporate the north end of the Bunker Hill area, which had been demolished, and created the east–west axis of civic buildings along what is today Grand Park. The courthouse was opened by Chief Justice Earl Warren in October 31, 1958. The courthouse was later named in honor of Stanley Mosk, the longest serving justice on the California Supreme Court and former Attorney General of California, in 2002.[2]

Since 2019, the courthouse has gained prominence as the site of the conservatorship dispute of Britney Spears, and the corresponding #FreeBritney rallies which have taken place there.[6]

  • Closeup of Grand Avenue façade with relief statues
    Closeup of Grand Avenue façade with relief statues
  • Hill Street façade with relief statues
    Hill Street façade with relief statues

References

  1. ^ "Stanley Mosk Courthouse". Emporis. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Stanley Mosk Courthouse / Los Angeles County Courthouse". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
  3. ^ ""Stanley Mosk Courthouse", website of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles". Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  4. ^ ""Seismic Renovation Project Feasibility Report, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, prepared by ARUP January 22, 2019" (PDF). Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  5. ^ ""The Stanley Mosk Courthouse", Perry Mason TV Series Wiki". Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
  6. ^ "#FreeBritney Activists Were Dismissed for Years. The Star's Explosive Testimony Changed Everything". Time. Archived from the original on 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-07-11.