City seeks savior for courthouse

From the Daily News:

For decades, the shuttered Rockaway Courthouse has served as both an example of urban decay and a symbol of hope.

The stately structure sits abandoned on Beach Channel Drive — an eyesore on an otherwise tidy block of one-family homes.

But it has also captured the imagination of many people over the years who dreamed of it being transformed into a center for education or the arts.

For the first time in almost a decade, the city is seeking proposals from developers interested in renovating the 24,000-square-foot limestone and marble building that was constructed in 1932.

There is little left inside that distinguishes it as a courthouse, other than the high ceiling and cathedral-type windows.

All fixtures and furniture disappeared years ago and years of graffiti scars some of the walls.

An ambitious plan to create a City University of New York facility on the site fell through several years ago.

The city is hoping to find a developer who will keep the distinctive exterior.