The U.S. Federal Courthouse in Niagara Square, the heart of downtown Buffalo, NY, is remarkable for its unusual elliptical shape, so designed by architect William Pedersen to maximize building efficiencies. It is surrounded by a glass curtain wall and aThis contemporary ten-story masterpiece was finished in 2011.

The District Court judges’ court rooms on floors seven, eight, and nine each feature backlit interior walls behind massive stone benches made of Vermont Verde Serpentine under oval-shaped cove ceilings.