Hempstead's Courthouse Has a 1955 Modern Face

Hempstead's courthouse does not reach for the tower-and-clock look. The active building at 836 Austin Street dates to 1955. Architect Herbert Voelcker gave it a Modern Classical look with a concrete frame, broad brick walls, limestone, and pink granite accents.

The shape carries the design. Strong symmetry and a single brick mass make the building feel formal. Vertical rows of metal-sash windows sit inside projecting limestone frames. The outside stays spare until the main entrance, where a large aluminum screen and Art Deco relief take over.

That contrast is the building's charm. From Austin Street, it reads as a mid-century courthouse, not a copy of an older one. Brick and stone keep the public face formal, while the flat lines, vertical windows, and metal screen place Hempstead's courthouse firmly in the 1950s.