Borough Hall From Inside

Recently, I had the opportunity to tour Brooklyn Borough Hall. It was a moment of some little excitement, since it's one of those historic buildings that I've passed by many a time, and never been able to enter, since it's not really used for many civic purposes anymore.

Given my only glimpses of the place have been through the dusty, ground floor doors on Joralemon Street, I assumed the place was ill-kept, so I was surprised by the beautiful state I found things in. Absolutely stunning rotunda, with staircases on either side and a black and white marble floor. Most impressive, though, was the second floor courtroom, with its coffered domed ceiling and carved wood paneling walls. Nice movie set (but too dark for a decent picture). I wondered at the various oil paintings on the wall, most of which were unidentified.

There was little in the way of security and almost no doors were locked, so I snuck up to the third floor and got close enough to the root to catch a look at the cast-iron cupola.