The vestibule ceiling contains brightly painted murals by Pusterla and his assistants painted in a “grand Italian decorative style” (nytimes). The subject of these murals is the administration of justice, and the murals depict many allegorical figures representing Truth, Error, Protection, Security, Army and Navy among others.

The rotunda is even more dramatic. The Historical Society of the New York Courts describes the rotunda: “[it] is 200 feet in circumference and rises 75 feet to a cupola 30 feet in height, 20 feet across, with 10 stained glass windows and clerestory. It was not until the mid-1930s, however, that work commenced on the renowned Courthouse murals” (nycourts.gov). These murals were completed by Pusterla and his assistants between 1934 and 1936 and depict the history of law. The six lunettes “depict the law across different civilizations. Assyrian and Egyptian, Hebraic and Persian, Greek and Roman, Byzantine and Frankish, English and American civilizations are illustrated on the six lunettes. Above the seated figures are portraits of six lawgivers: Hammurabi, Moses, Solomon, Justinian, Blackstone and John Marshall” (untappedcities.com).