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Corte Suprema
San Juan Puerto Rico, 1955
Toro Ferrer y Torregrosa
Exhibition by AACUPR
in English and Spanish
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Rear elevation with grand staircase cantilevered above pond.
Grand staircase and Courtroom details
Also designed in 1955, the building for the Supreme Court received international coverage through various journals. A site was selected in the Luis Muñoz Rivera Park. The site was an ideal location with a front that dominated the Park, in the manner of a small mall like in Washington, and a back side that dominated the entrance to the Isle of San Juan.
The design developed by Toro and Ferrer placed the building on axis with the Park and due to the topography that ascended as it backed away from the site, the building had three floor to avoid seeing the roof from the Park. Architecturally, the building uses an exposed structure in the manner of a classical peristyle, that marks in a rhythmic manner, the articulations of the facade. This structure, with the monumental steps to enter the building and the shallow dome, evoke the composition of the Insular Capitol Building.
The use of pilotis on the first level gives the appearance that the building floats over a pond and a garden. The building is entered through monumental steps, which lead to a large second floor lobby. From this lobby a spiral staircase projects over the pond. The second floor is dedicated to office space and the space between the columns is enclosed with large panes of glass and louvers. The court room, which occupies the third floor beneath the dome, was designed in a circular shape in order to provide an adequate enclosure for the judgesÕ bench which had an arched form.
From the exhibition panels
Caribe Hilton ¥ Residencia Rodríguez ¥ Oficinas Legislativas ¥ Corte Suprema
Toro Ferrer y Torregrosa 1945-1955
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