Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
De Blasio Finally Signs Off On Renaming Brooklyn Building For Ruth Bader Ginsburg
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 22, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Bebeto Matthews/AP/Shutterstock
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 22, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor Bill de Blasio has approved the renaming of the Brooklyn Municipal Building after Brooklyn-born Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, telling reporters Tuesday morning "we want to make sure that we honor her in every conceivable way, and especially in the borough that she came from, that gave her so much of her strength and spirit, the borough of Brooklyn... Here’s one of your own who changed the world."
The announcement comes two years after Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams launched a petition urging de Blasio to rename it, noting that the mayor would simply need to issue an executive action to make the name change at the building, located at 210 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn. At the time, the mayor's office responded with a statement saying, "There’s no question that Justice Ginsburg’s life and her legacy of public service epitomizes the very best of what makes New York great. We’ve received Borough President Adams’ letter and are reviewing his request." (A year later, Adams celebrated Ginsburg's 86th birthday with another press conference calling for the name change.)
Completed in 1924, the Brooklyn Municipal Building currently houses a number of city offices, including the Departments of Buildings, Probation, Finance, and Environmental Protection.
Over the weekend, following Ginsburg's death, Governor Andrew Cuomo had announced a statue in her honor. During a call with reporters on Monday, Cuomo offered this update: "I'm going to announce a commission that will work on the statue and exactly how we want it depicted. I'll be doing that this week. We're looking at possible locations. We're considering Brooklyn Bridge Park on a site that would overlook the Statue of Liberty so we're considering that."
The statue of Ginsburg could be the 7th female historical statue in all of New York City, to the 105 male historical statues. Meanwhile, someone has placed an RBG collar on the Fearless Girl statue:
Tagged
Brooklyn Municipal Building
ruth bader ginsburg
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 23, 2026
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .