Harrisburg Federal Courthouse
- Dave Becker
- Jul 1
- 2 min read
After twenty years of planning and design, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania skyline is now home to a new U.S. Federal Courthouse which has changed the face of Harrisburg’s downtown and is part of the ongoing Mid-town redevelopment that will continue for years to come. The courthouse was named after the first woman appointed Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, who was later named the first female Chief Judge of the Middle District. Judge Rambo is the one of the only women in history to have an American Federal Courthouse named in her honor. She championed the development and played a key role in the project’s completion. She also had the rare honor of working in the building before her retirement.
The Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse is a $200-million, 243,000-square-foot U.S. Federal Courthouse completed in 2023. The eleven-story building houses eight courtrooms and chambers, as well as support space for the District Clerk, US Attorneys, Probation, US Marshal, and US trustee.
The building was designed to accommodate natural light, from the 30-foot glazed panels in the entryway lobby to the intricately angled glass fiber reinforced concrete fins that allow natural light into the elevator lobbies. The building design is a steel structure with a precast concrete envelope, vertical glazing, and stone details that was designed to meet LEED Gold standards. It fulfilled the requirements and specifications for security, safety, and the health category which signifies that the building has excelled in creating a healthy environment for occupants. This involves prioritizing factors like indoor air quality, access to daylight and views, and incorporating strategies to minimize exposure to toxins and pollutants. The building includes requirements for blast resistance, progressive collapse, security controls, prisoner exchange, and secure corridors. The facility also includes infrastructure to enable the latest technology for courtrooms as well as the flexibility to accommodate future physical and technical enhancements.
Reeb Building Systems was responsible for the entire Doors, Frames and Hardware scope of work and also supplied and installed all of the Metal Lockers, Benches and Toilet Partitions throughout the eleven storied building.
General Contractor: Mascaro Construction, Pittsburgh, PA.
