John Minor Wisdom United States Court of Appeals Building
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U.S. Court of Appeals-Fifth Circuit
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John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building, May 2007
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| Location | 600 Camp St., New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| Coordinates | 29°56′52″N 90°4′45″W / 29.94778°N 90.07917°WCoordinates: 29°56′52″N 90°4′45″W / 29.94778°N 90.07917°W |
| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Hale & Rogers; French, Daniel Chester |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 74000937 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 15, 1974 |
| Designated NHL | July 21, 2015 |
The John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building is a historic courthouse located at 600 Camp Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a courthouse for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2015 for its extensive role in adjudicating issues of the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. John Minor Wisdom, for whom it is now named, was a judge on the Fifth Circuit during that period.
The John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building originally served as the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse. In 1908, the New York architectural firm Hale and Rogers won a design competition for the building and U.S. Treasury Department officials approved their plans in 1909. Workers broke ground later that year on the site, which encompasses the block bounded by Lafayette, Camp, Magazine, and Capdeville streets overlooking Lafayette Square. Construction of the elaborate building took many years; the date 1912 is incised on the frieze on the Lafayette Street side, but the interior was not finished until 1915, with employees occupying their offices the following year. Originally, the post office occupied the entire first floor, while the Federal District Court and Court of Appeals were located on the second floor. Executive Branch agencies were on the third level.
In 1961, needing additional space, the post office moved to a new facility. Two years later, the courts also vacated. The building was unoccupied until 1965, when it served as a public high school for three years after Hurricane Betsy destroyed McDonough 35 High School. Between 1971 and 1972, the federal building underwent an extensive restoration. Upon completion, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals returned to the building as its only tenant. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and has since been featured in several films and television shows.
In 1994, the building was renamed to honor John Minor Wisdom, a respected judge who served on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1957 until his death in 1999. Wisdom strongly promoted civil rights and issued landmark decisions that supported school desegregation and voter rights. In 1993, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
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