Source: United States General Services Administration
December 9, 2022
GSA Contact: william.powell@gsa.gov
Courts Contact: Peter_Welsh@pamd.uscourts.gov
PHILADELPHIA – Today, the U.S. General Services Administration and the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania cut the ribbon on the new Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse in midtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The new courthouse features eight courtrooms and 11 chambers and is anticipated to be substantially complete in winter 2023.
“The building and its surrounding landscape will be a civic icon and public space that serves as a catalyst for further revitalization of the area while promoting stronger visual and physical links to the Capitol Complex and the rest of Harrisburg,” said Judge Rambo. “As we gather here today, we commemorate the dedication of this building as a United States Courthouse to the ever-vital role that the federal judiciary plays in our democracy.”
Judge Rambo is one of a few living women to have a courthouse named after her. The Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse is only the third, following the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix, Arizona (2000), and the Diana E. Murphy U.S. Courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota (2019).
“We are thrilled to be at the finish line for this beautiful building,” said GSA’s PBS Commissioner Nina Albert. “The Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse will meet the needs of people who work in and visit this building, which includes sustainable features, impressive design and reflects a strong partnership among GSA, the Courts, and the City of Harrisburg to bring a modern courthouse to the city.”
“Our nation’s great experiment in democracy is a legacy that belongs to every single American,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “The judicial branch upholds the laws of our nation. It upholds the rights Americans hold dear. I am glad to be here to mark the completion of this incredible facility, which will serve Pennsylvanians and our nation’s courts as we grow into the future. This new courthouse will be a center of justice and democracy, and the people who walk its halls every day will continue the work of upholding the laws of this nation and the rights of its residents. Thank you to everyone who commits themselves to this important work here in Pennsylvania.”
“Judge Sylvia Rambo advocated tirelessly for the new federal courthouse’s planning, construction, and funding. Her trailblazing career inspired future generations of woman lawyers in Pennsylvania and beyond, and I can think of no better tribute than naming the building in her honor,” said U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). “I was proud to work closely with Judge Rambo and a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania lawmakers to secure federal funding to complete this state-of-the-art courthouse for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.”
The building includes two GSA Art in Architecture commissions. Monique van Genderen’s 250-foot mural, “I Thought of You…the People’s Painting,” is front and center in the lobby, visible from the street and rolling through the space reminiscent of the nearby Susquehanna River. Van Genderen said her work was “to transport the viewer to a space apart from our everyday reality, a space that speaks to our individuality and commonality at the same time.”
The mural was completed in October 2022. When touring the facility at the time, GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan met Judge Rambo and interviewed van Genderen.
The second commission, Claire Sherman’s eight painting series “Trees and Vines,” will be installed on floors 3-10. The compositions of the paintings on the lower floors are denser with foliage, while the paintings on the upper floors reveal progressively larger areas of open sky. Installation is estimated for spring 2023.
The courthouse occupies four acres at 6th and Reily streets. Tenants of this new courthouse will be the U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, Middle District of Pennsylvania, along with U.S. Attorneys, Federal Public Defender, GSA, Dept. of Homeland Security, U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Trustees.
Ennead Architects designed the courthouse, Mascaro Construction is the general contractor for the building, and Hill International provided construction management services.
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