Headquarters for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the building houses 27 courtrooms and support facilities arranged along a curved glass 'conoid' gallery that wraps around the building on the Harbor side. The intent of the building was to make democracy accessible to the public. Consequently, it has more public space than any other Federal Courthouse in the Nation including a cafe, daycare center excursion boat ticket office in an arcaded waterfront loggia, as well as spaces for exhibitions, lectures, meetings, and dining in the Great Hall of the courthouse and the adjacent Harbor Park. To create a dialogue about the Law and American democracy, quotations by some of the most articulate New Englanders are placed throughout the building including 40 panels along the outside. As part of the GSA Art in Architecture Program, Ellsworth Kelly was commissioned to create the colored panels in the public spaces. The Building was named after John Joseph Moakley, from South Boston who served in the House of Representatives for many years.
