The Bombed Out Courthouse

On November 11, 1914, the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse, a Beaux-Arts structure completed earlier that year, was bombed in an attack attributed to the Galleanisti, followers of the Italian anarchist Luigi Galleani.

This group, also known as the Bresci Circle, carried out a series of bombings across the United States between 1914 and 1920, targeting symbols of authority and capitalism as part of their “propaganda of the deed” campaign, aiming to incite revolutionary change through violent acts. While the exact individuals responsible for the Bronx courthouse bombing were never identified, the Galleanisti’s involvement is strongly suspected due to their known activities during that period.

The attack was believed to be motivated by anger at the judicial system, which anarchists saw as oppressive toward workers and immigrants, and the Bronx explosion was part of a larger wave of anarchist violence targeting courthouses, police stations, and other government buildings across the country.