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THE HISTORIC JOHN ADAMS COURTHOUSE
CELEBRATED IN FESTIVE NAMING CEREMONY
Boston-
The venerable Old Suffolk County Courthouse
in Boston's Pemberton Square today was renamed the John Adams
Courthouse in a celebratory ceremonial signing of the naming
legislation with Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift, Supreme
Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall, Speaker
of the House of Representatives Thomas M. Finneran, Senate
Judiciary Committee Chair Robert S. Creedon, Jr., Secretary
for Administration and Finance Kevin J. Sullivan, and a host
of other dignitaries representing state, federal, and local
offices. SJC Clerk for Suffolk County Maura S. Doyle was the
mistress of ceremonies for the event, which was held in the
Social Law Library in the Suffolk County Courthouse high-rise
building, adjacent to the John Adams Courthouse. The festive
occasion was marked with a fife and drums processional performed
by the Middlesex County Volunteers, the Trial Court Court
Officers Honor Guard, and guest appearances by "John
and Abigail Adams."
Currently undergoing massive renovation and historical preservation,
the Courthouse is named in honor of John Adams, native son
of Massachusetts, because of his numerous, significiant contributions
to the role of the judiciary, including authorship of the
Massachusetts Constitution. The Courthouse will be the future
home of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Appeals
Court, and the Social Law Library, when the building reopens
in 2004.
Governor Jane Swift said, "This is an historic day because
it honors one of the great people in the history of Massachusetts.
We hope that the wisdom and intelligence of John Adams is
forever associated with decisions made within the building
that bears his name."
Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall
said, "The greatest tribute we can pay to John Adams,
who gave us and the world so much, is to make this courthouse
a living monument, where his lifelong devotion to justice,
community, and learning will inspire our own. Let this be
a place where we honor the future of freedom, not only its
history."
For the 310-year-old Supreme Judicial Court and the 199-year-old
Social Law Library, the move will mark a return to their former
home. From 1893 to 1938, the Supreme Judicial Court and the
Social Law Library inhabited the Old Suffolk County Courthouse.
The Appeals Court, the state's intermediate appellate court,
was established in 1972.
Envisioned as both a judicial and civic center, the John Adams
Courthouse will welcome visitors of all ages from around the
world to learn about the development and history of the law
in Massachusetts through educational displays and special
events, in keeping with the spirit of John Adams' own passion
for learning and his interest in an educated citizenry.
Among the many restored architectural features of the Courthouse
will be original oak panel courtrooms and marble floors, and
the majestic Great Hall, the public space in the center of
the building, with its stunning artwork on the ceiling. The
Supreme Judicial Court will have a new large courtroom for
its full court sittings, equipped with modern technology for
computers, audio-visual needs, and web broadcasting. A separate
courtroom, shared with the Appeals Court, will be used for
single Justice hearings. That courtroom will be restored to
appear as it did when Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. sat on the bench there one hundred
years ago. The Appeals Court will have two courtrooms for
its panel hearings. Expansive and technologically equipped
reading and book collection rooms will be features of the
new Social Law Library. New windows, stairways, and elevators
will be added to the courthouse, as well as modern electric,
heating, ventilation, security, and fire protection systems.
"The Administration views this project to restore and
adapt the Historic Suffolk County Courthouse to the needs
of the SJC, Appeals Court, and Social Law Library as a cornerstone
to our effort to rebuild the infrastructure of the Commonwealth's
Judiciary," stated Administration and Finance Secretary
Kevin J. Sullivan, who oversees the Division of Capital Asset
Management.
Under the management supervision of the Divison of Capital
Asset Management, the building contractor is Suffolk/NER,
a joint venture between Suffolk Construction Company, Inc.,
and NER Construction Management, Inc. The architect is Childs
Bertman Tseckares, Inc. of Boston. The construction cost is
$96 million.
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