Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • 15

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL Classified 4 Sectic A HIDE TO REMEW2ER Riding the Cumbres v' Toltec Scenic Railroad is a great way to see fall colors Deaths 12 aw (if I Weather 12 C3 4 IL i .1 v. VJ DEAN HANSON JOURNAL A UZVJ ABSKSZS3 iMarble Ave." I People's Co VIEW FROM THE TOP: Spiral staircases climb Ave floors under the rotunda of the new federal courthouse In Albuquerque as workers labor on the floor tile. There Is no public access to the top two floors, which house Judges' chamber and conference rooms. The bulld-- ing will open in 1 mid-November. il AUUOIJmOUi i I LombS Livd inv is Albuquerque new Teqerai courthouse is designed to retiect Li! tha arflo'o ri ilti iroe tAkiil rriHirn iotiro onrl cnooo frr oil ROBIN MCCLANNAHAN JOURNAL I II No public access 5 St i "i in' n.j..A ff 1 "I 1 ft 4Mi A if Staircase winds around mm I onen-air rotunda I of Julian courtrqr ootrt By Scott Sandlin Journal Staff Writer THERE WERE BUMPS on the road to the new U.S.

District Courthouse, including flaps over where the building should sit and questions over what would happen to the Madonna of the Trail statue. Those issues and others have been resolved: The $41 million building occupies a two-block area between Lomas and Marble and Fourth and Third NW. And the newly restored Madonna will be reinstalled on the northwest corner of the courthouse site and dedicated in a ceremony later this month. Court of ficials are planning for a mid-November move to the new building. A total of approximately 200 employees, from judges and their staffs to employees of the U.S.

District Court Clerk, the Probation and Pre-Trial Services off ices, U.S. Marshals Service and 10th Circuit law library, will be housed in the building. Officials anticipate a 10-day process for completing the nine-block move from the existing Dennis Chavez Building on Gold SW. The move likely will start on a weekend, with installation of computers the goal is to maintain connections between the two buildings in the interim and is expected to be completed during the following week. The courthouse, designed by Flatow Moore Shaffer McCabe Inc.

and built by Centex Construction, symbolically uses the number three throughout, from the depiction of New Mexico's multi-cultural aspects to the branches of government The building's exterior evokes the intricate and ancient sandstone techniques found at Chaco Canyon and elsewhere. The interior design features an abundance of natural light through a seven-story atrium. Other Southwestern touches include ceiling latillas and an abstract Zia symbol in the lobby tile. Federal court activity in New Mexico has boomed over the past decade, causing the current courthouse, built in the mid-1960s, to be inadequate Upper floors of the old building eventually will be occupied by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, and federal agencies now in leased space around the city will movetq other floors.

1 The new courthouse was designed with further expansion of the judiciary in mind; it should be able to accommodate the 30-year requirements of 21 judges and related agencies. 'COI Atternntive cl" resr'' 'J COMMANDING VIEW: Workers Install window trim to the newest addition to Downtown Albuquerque's skyline. The cost of the new U.S. District Courthouse Is $41 million. Public access via elevators and winding stairs i 1 r-Devatrs Jury assembly cafeteria and clerk 5 I -urf (J THE BIQ PICTURE: The front of Albuquerque's new federal courthouse faces Lomas Boulevard NW.

The old courthouse on Gold SW had simply become too small. 0 ll U. S. f-'L" on U.5 Front entry SOURCE: Ratow Moon Shaffer MoCabe Jnc Ground floor ROBIN MCCLANNAHAN JOURNAL -'V r1" T-ff fcirn I i i nniNQ IN: The exterior stonework of the courthouse Is designed to reflect the Southwestern look of Anasazl i construction. ejiMai i t.

Facts About The Courthouse SOURCE: Flatow Moore Shaffer McCabe Architects Building cost Pipe: Wiring and conduit: Stairsteps: Number of elevators: $41 million 19 miles 45 miles 1,120 10 Number of workers Involved In construction: 1,030 Number of Judges: 15 Number of courtroom: 10 Grot square feetc 311,000 Square feet of drywall: 1,975,836 Rock: 1,670 tons of Arizona sandstone for the veneer Framing: 1.57 million linear feet of metal studs 4 sfsatjsuMa-j..