These three concrete buildings sit in a minimally landscaped superblock covering the entire western half of Liberty Ward, obliterating blocklong segments of three streets and two lanes. The project provided much-needed courthouse and office space, as well as increased parking and a detention center to accommodate the rapidly growing prisoner population, the result of the decade’s rising crime rate and an increased pattern of incarceration for minor offenses. Together, they constitute a late expression of “blank-slate” urban renewal, which cleared the site of all previous structures and made scant efforts to respect the historic surroundings. The six-story courthouse employs horizontal strip windows and Brutalist cladding of rough-surfaced precast concrete panels with unusual vertical scoring.