Designed by ARQUITECTONCIA in partnership with Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse is 14 stories high with an 8-story atrium in the center. The courthouse is named for the Miami-native, lawyer and judge. Born to Bahamian immigrants, Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. grew up in Liberty City. In 1976, he became the first black judge to be appointed to the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida; as well the first black judge of the Florida Third District Court of Appeal in December 1980. In 1993 he was appointed to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida where he served until his death from leukemia in 2003.
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