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September 5, 2006

Station trial: New courthouse on stage / Photo

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Members of the press wait outside the new courthouse this morning as jury selection gets under way.

WARWICK -- It's no secret that court officials delayed the start of Michael Derderian's trial to feature the new Kent County Courthouse.

So today, as media from across the region converged on Warwick for the first day of jury selection in the landmark trial, court employees weren't shy about their strong feelings about their 197,000-square-foot new home.

While addressing the jury this morning, Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. referred to the $60-million building an "outstanding architectural feat."

The outer shell of the modern structure features glass panels arranged to form distinct shapes with angled faces. There is a small reflecting pool on one side of the building and a small pond on the other.

The landscaped lawn is so lush that court officials wouldn't allow television crews to set up there, forcing them to use the top of the adjacent 536-space parking garage for live shots.

The inside of the buiding also distinguishes itself from other Rhode Island courthouses, with high ceilings and very long hallways with lots of natural light (thanks to the glass wall panelling).

The walk from the elevators on the fourth floor to Courtroom 4F -- where Derderian's jury selection is taking place today -- spans nearly 300 feet, according to a court spokesman. That's nearly the same distance as the path from home plate to the Green Monster in Fenway Park.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples

Posted by Steve Peoples  at 5:05 PM | Permalink

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