The state courthouse complex in lower Manhattan is known for its architectural splendor, but proposals over the past few decades to improve aging conditions in the interiors and sew up fragmented offices and courts spread over multiple buildings have gone nowhere while other boroughs get shiny new court facilities.

Now the state court system and the city have recently restarted the conversation. According to the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, the city has allocated $2 million to commission an architectural study for improvements to the court complex.

The study is being conducted by the Manhattan-based firm Perkins Eastman, which has a long track record of working on court facilities in New York. It was the architect behind the Queens Civil Courthouse, which was erected in 1997; and the 32-story, 1.1 million-square-foot Brooklyn Supreme and Family Courthouse, which opened in 2005 and cost $670 million.